(RILEY COUNTY, KS – December 9, 2020) The Riley County Health Department (RCHD) will adopt the new 10-day quarantine guidelines proposed by CDC and KDHE effective Thursday, December 10, 2020. The new guidelines state quarantine can end after day 10 if the patient has no symptoms of COVID-19. Riley County will not adopt the alternate 7-day quarantine option at this time.
Patients currently in quarantine may end their quarantine period after day 10 if they do not develop symptoms. Contact tracing staff will reach out to patients directly to share information about the new guidelines.
“To reduce the personal burden on patients and gain more compliance with quarantine, we will adopt the new 10-day alternative,” said Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs. “Symptoms may appear after day 10, but the likelihood decreases significantly. RCHD continues to recommend a quarantine period of 14 days for anyone exposed to COVID-19 if they have the ability to do so.”
According to CDC, with the 10-day strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 1% with an upper limit of about 10%. More information is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html.
A person who has had close contact with a positive patient is required to quarantine for 10 days. Close contacts are those exposed to a person with COVID-19, even if that person didn't have symptoms, if any of the following situations occurred:
- Living with the person or stayed overnight for at least one night in a house with the person; or
- Within 6 feet of the person for 10 consecutive minutes or more; or
- Direct contact with the infectious secretions of the person (for example, coughed or sneezed on; kissed; contact with a dirty tissue; shared a drinking glass, food, towels, or other personal items).
Household contacts, or people who live with someone who tested positive, must be quarantined for 10 days after the case has been released from home isolation (because exposure is considered ongoing within the house).
Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home, isolate, and monitor symptoms. Any person who is sick or would like more information about how to get tested, should call the Riley County Screening Line at 785-323-6400. The Screening Line is staffed by nurses and is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Any person experiencing life-threatening symptoms should call 911.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Life-threatening symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all possible symptoms. People should call a medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
For more information about Riley County’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at www.rileycountyks.gov/coronavirus, follow RCHD on Facebook at /Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.
