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County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Communications & Public Affairs
313 N. Figueroa Street, Room 806
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 240-8144
Fax: (213) 481-1406
media@ph.lacounty.gov
If you are a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and you have no symptoms, you are not required to quarantine.*
You are required to:
*Some close contacts must quarantine or be excluded from work if they live or work in a high-risk setting (see below). In addition, some close contacts in other settings may be required to be excluded from work by their employer. Some close contacts may choose to quarantine to protect others, even when it is not required.
Note: Day 0 is the day of your last contact (exposure) with the infected person. Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure.
You are a "close contact" if you shared the same indoor airspace with someone with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period while they were infectious.
Examples of indoor airspaces are homes, waiting rooms, airplanes. An example of "a total of 15 minutes or more" is being in the same airspace with the person for 5 minutes at least 3 different times in 24 hours.
Note: A different definition of a close contact may be used if you are exposed at work or school.
If you are a close contact and you do NOT have symptoms, you are not
required to quarantine.
[Note: Some close contacts must quarantine or be excluded from work if they live or work in a
high-risk setting (see below). In addition, some close contacts in other settings may be required to be excluded from work by their
employer.]
You are required to take the following steps to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others:
Wear a highly protective mask
You must wear a highly protective mask around others, especially indoors, through Day 10. This includes wearing it at home.
A highly protective mask is one that fits and filters well. Examples include a well-fitting respirator (N95,KN95, KF94), a double mask (a cloth mask over a medical mask), a well-fitting medical mask, or well-fitting, high-filtration cloth (“reusable”) mask with a nose-wire. Well-fitting respirators provide the most protection. See ph.lacounty.gov/masks for more details about masks that offer the best protection.
Get tested
If you test positive at any time, follow isolation requirements at ph.lacounty.gov/covidisolation.
The test should be an FDA-authorized COVID-19 viral test such as an antigen or NAAT/PCR test. Self-tests are acceptable, but if used for return to work the test must be observed or reported in a certain way. For more information check with your employer and see Cal-OSHA Testing FAQs.
Monitor your health
Monitor yourself for symptoms through Day 10. If you develop symptoms, test right away and stay home away from others.
Even if you do not need to quarantine, there are additional steps you should consider taking to help reduce the risk of exposing others, including the following:
Quarantine or work exclusion is required for some residents and workers in certain high-risk settings.
High-risk settings include:
If you work in a healthcare setting, you must follow the Work Restrictions for Asymptomatic Healthcare Personnel with Exposures or Work Restrictions for Asymptomatic EMS Personnel with Exposures.
If you live or work in any of the other high-risk settings listed above and are not fully vaccinated and have not had COVID-19 within the last 90 days, you are required to take extra precautions to protect others at the facility. If you are a resident of the high-risk setting, you must follow the specific quarantine requirements for your setting. If you are an employee, you must stay away from work for at least 5 days after your last exposure. See Cal/OSHA's FAQs CDPH Isolation and Quarantine Table 3 - Close Contacts - Specified High-Risk Settings.
Quarantine means staying away from others in case you become infected.
If you are required to quarantine, you must stay away from others for at least 5 days after your last exposure.
How to count quarantine days: Day 0 is the day of your last contact (exposure) with the infected person. Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure.
If you live with or care for a person with COVID-19 and cannot avoid close contact with them while they are in isolation, use the day after the infected person ends isolation as your Day 1.
If you received a Public Health Emergency Quarantine Order and you don’t know when you were exposed to the infected person, use the date the order was issued as the date of your last contact with the infected person.
How to quarantine
If you need help:
Call the COVID Call Center 1-833-540-0473, open daily 8:00am–8:30pm if you are experiencing homelessness, are unable to safely isolate or quarantine at home, or have questions. Operators can find a place for you to isolate or quarantine, answer your COVID-19 questions, and share other helpful resources.Recent travel: For information about testing and quarantine after travel follow CDC domestic and international travel recommendations.
Contact tracing is a simple, confidential process that is being used to help slow the spread of COVID-19. If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 you may receive a call from a public health specialist.
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
