It’s normal to feel scared after you receive this difficult news. Please monitor your symptoms including fever, and call 911 in cases of emergency, and tell the responders that you’re positive for COVID-19. Here are some of the common questions and answers about how to best keep you and your loved ones safe through your illness.
- Who around me is at risk for illness?
- Anyone with whom you have had close contact, which the CDC defines as anyone you have spent more than 15 minutes with less than 6’ apart from one another.
- 15 minutes is cumulative, so three separate five minute periods is considered close contact.
- How long am I contagious?
- If you have symptoms, you are contagious beginning 2 days prior to the symptoms starting until at least 10 days later.
- If you don’t have symptoms, you are contagious beginning 2 days prior to when you were tested until at least 10 days later.
- What if both of us were wearing masks?
- Although face coverings minimize the risk of transmission, it does not eliminate it. Even if you were both masked, notify them of your results.
- In a public school setting, masking of both parties does not require quarantine, but please monitor for symptoms.
- How long are my contacts quarantined?
- What about other people in my household?
- The people you live with are at much greater risk for contracting COVID-19.
- An extended quarantine due to prolonged, ongoing contact with you in your home may be necessary.
- Whenever possible, isolate away from other members of your home. This includes using a separate bedroom and bathroom and not avoiding shared common spaces like the kitchen or living room.
- If this isn’t possible (like with parents and small children), your household members who are not positive do not start their 14 day quarantine until you have fully recovered, which is a minimum of 10 days after your positive test results.
- This is because each day they are getting re-exposed to a positive case and restarting their quarantine period.
- Quarantines could last as long as 24 days in some rare cases.
- What should I tell people I’ve had close contact with?
- Ask them to stay home, and send them here
- Please note that due to dramatic increases in positive cases, test result reporting and subsequent documentation you may need for employers, schools, etc. may be delayed. The CNCHD is contacting positive cases as fast as possible and working to provide you with the resources necessary for you to stay home. You’ll be contacted by either CNCHD or the Wyoming Department of Health (WDOH) after your test. During this call, you’ll answer general informational questions, and a representative will walk you through next steps and coordinate your isolation letter. Please try your best to answer calls or have voicemail available. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
- Isolation Letter Requests
- This documentation serves as basic contact tracing. The CNCHD will be in touch with you via phone if we require additional information
- I urgently need an isolation letter and cannot wait. What can I do?
- Fill out a request here, and we’ll fulfill your request as soon as possible.
- It’s been five or more days since rest my positive test results, and I still haven’t been contacted by CNCHD or WDOH. What can I do?
- It’s possible your test result wasn’t assigned to Casper, or it hasn’t made it through our reporting process. Fill out a request here
