CARING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS SICK
Help the patient follow their healthcare provider’s instructions for medication(s) and care.
Help with basic needs in the home and provide support for getting groceries, prescriptions and other personal needs.
Stay in another room or be separated from the patient as much as possible. Use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if available.
Prohibit visitors who do not have an essential need to be in the home.
Care for any pets in the home. The person who is sick should not handle pets or other animals while sick.
Perform hand hygiene frequently for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60 to 95% alcohol. Wash your hands if visibly dirty.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
The patient should wear a facemask when around other people. If the patient is not able to wear a facemask, the caregiver, should wear a mask when in the same room as the patient.
Avoid sharing household items with the patient such as dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items. After the patient uses these items, you should wash them thoroughly.
Clean all “high-touch” surfaces, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day. Also, clean any surfaces that body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions.
Wash laundry thoroughly using a normal laundry detergent according to washing machine instructions and dry thoroughly using the warmest temperatures recommended on the clothing label.
IF YOU ARE SICK
Your healthcare provider and public health staff will evaluate whether you can be cared for at home. If it is determined that you can be isolated at home, you will be monitored by staff from your local or state health department. You should follow these steps until a healthcare provider or local or state health department says you can return to your normal activities.
Stay home except to get medical care.
Restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home. As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.
Restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick.
Call ahead before visiting your doctor
If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19 to help to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.
Wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) or pets and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office.
Cover your coughs and sneezes
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or, if soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
Avoid sharing personal household items
You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday
Monitor your symptoms
Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening. If you have a medical emergency and need to call 911, notify the dispatch personnel that you have, or are being evaluated for COVID-19. If possible, put on a facemask before emergency medical services arrive.
DISCONTINUING HOME ISOLATION
Stay at home until instructed to leave. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 should remain under home isolation precautions until the risk of secondary transmission to others is thought to be low.
Talk to your healthcare provider. The decision to discontinue home isolation precautions should be made on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.