Lewis and Clark Public Health Moves to 10-Day Quarantine Time for COVID-19

Helena – Lewis and Clark Public Health has lowered quarantine times for individuals exposed to COVID-19 to 10 days. This quarantine times will match guidance from the CDC release on December 2, 2020. The change to quarantine time is effective immediately.

The changes come after the number of COVID-19 positive cases has fallen in recent weeks in Lewis and Clark County. This fall has allowed our contact tracing team to resume full contact tracing and the ability to contact every close contact to provide education and guidance.

"There is still a slight risk, between 1-10%, of post-quarantine transmission. It is vital that individuals closely follow instructions provided by the contact tracer in order to mitigate this risk and reduce the chance of ongoing community spread of this virus" states Drenda Niemann, Health Officer for Lewis and Clark Public Health.

Due to the decline in case numbers the team can reach all close contacts and verbally explain the definition and reasoning behind quarantine times.

Individuals exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine through 10 days after their last day of exposure. In order to qualify to end quarantining after 10 days, individuals must have no symptoms of being ill on the tenth day, must actively monitor for ill symptoms daily for days 11-14, and must return to quarantine and get retested if symptoms of being ill occur once they are released from quarantine. Monitoring of symptoms is crucial to ensure the prevention of disease spread.

For the most current available data on local COVID-19 cases, view the Local COVID-19 Decision Making Dashboard at http://www.lccountymt.gov/health/covid-19/local-covid-19-decision-making-dashboard.html. For more information on vaccination progress in the county, visit our COVID-19 Hub at http://www.helenamontanamaps.org/LCPHCovid19HUB/.

COVID-19 symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus and 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, vomiting, or diarrhea. Also, be aware of emergency warning signs of severe COVID-19 disease. Individuals showing any of the following signs or symptoms should seekemergency medical care immediately: trouble breathing, persistent pressure or pain in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or bluish lips or face coloring.

Preventing and controlling local COVID-19 is dependent on personal responsibility and individual choices that residents of our county can make to protect our community. Lewis and Clark Public Health continues to urge people to do the right thing to protect our community, practice what has been learned over the last few months, such as physical distancing, wearing a face covering, avoiding large gatherings, washing hands, and sanitizing surfaces to protect ourselves and others.

If you have questions, please call Lewis and Clark Public Health at 457-8900.