Q & A - Employee's Roommate Tested Positive But Employee Tested Negative - Quarantine?

Hello,

One of my employees roomates is positive for Covid. My employee just got her test results back, and she is negative. Does she still need to quarantine? Do I need to quarantine?

3/8/2021

Hello,

Thanks for the question. Your employee must quarantine. The quarantine period starts the day they were in close contact with the roomate with COVID-19. Close contact means spending at least 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of someone over the course of a day, with or without a mask.

So as far as you, the employer or other employees are concerned, the question is, have you been in close contact, within 6 feet of the employee with the COVID positive roommate for more that 15 minutes? If you were, then you too should quarantine as well.

14-day Quarantine (Safest) If you have not been vaccinated.

We recommend a 14-day quarantine period. Staying home and away from other people for 14 days is the safest way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others.

• You are required to quarantine for 14 days if you live or work in a long-term care facility or other licensed group setting.

• Quarantine for a full 14-days if someone in your house has COVID-19 or if you live or work with people who are at risk for serious illness from COVID-19.

10-Day Quarantine

If you have no symptoms, quarantine for at least 10 days. A 14-day quarantine is still best.

After 10 days, your risk of spreading the virus to others goes down. There is still a chance you can get sick and spread COVID-19 to others during days 11-14, even if you felt well on day 10.

If you end quarantine after 10 days, continue to monitor yourself for symptoms daily for the full 14 days. It is very important to continue to wear a mask, wash your hands often and limit your contact with people you don’t live with.

If you develop symptoms, isolate yourself from others and call your doctor or clinic right away.

7-day quarantine is not recommended by Multnomah County public health.

If you have been vaccinated

Quarantine is no longer required:

• 2 weeks after your 2nd dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or

• 4 weeks after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Once you are fully vaccinated and your body is ready to protect you, you no longer have to quarantine if you’re in close contact with someone who might have the virus. That’s because:

• The chance of you getting infected is incredibly low.

• The chance of you picking up COVID-19 and spreading it to others is very low.

• Even if you do get sick, you are very unlikely to get severely ill.

Here is a link to Multnomah County Website

Link to printable poster