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Southwestern Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health has new advice for household members of symptomatic people awaiting COVID-19 test results: stay home.
“COVID-19 spreads when people have close contact with each other. Our case history has many examples of multi-member households infected with the virus. For this reason, we’re asking everyone in the household to stay home until COVID is ruled out for the symptomatic individual,” says Dr. Joyce Lock, Medical Officer of Health at Southwestern Public Health. “We must all work together to break the trend of household members unknowingly bringing COVID-19 to their workplace, to schools, and the broader community.”
Under the new recommendation, entire households are asked to self-isolate alongside their symptomatic household member until COVID-19 can be ruled out. Dr. Lock recommends that no one in the household should attend work or school outside of the home, attend child care, or run errands in the community while results are pending.
The advice comes as the health unit’s local epidemiology data indicates 30% of the region's cases acquired COVID-19 at home. Until now, household members of a symptomatic individual could go out into the community or attend work, even if a household member was unwell.
Effective December 14, 2020, Dr. Lock recommends the following measures:
- Get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms, even if they are mild.
- Self-isolate at home while you wait to receive your COVID-19 test results. Do not go to work or school outside of the home, attend child care, or run errands in the community until your test results rule out COVID-19.
- Self-isolate if you live with a symptomatic individual waiting for test results.
- If negative, discontinue self-isolation; if positive, continue isolating as directed by public health.
- If an individual is sick but chooses not to get tested, all household members are advised to self-isolate for at least 14 days.
For more information, visit www.swpublichealth.ca/covid19 or call the Southwestern Public Health COVID-19 Call Centre at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9.
About Southwestern Public Health
Southwestern Public Health works with its partners to ensure the health of the whole community. Our programs respond to public health emergencies; promote healthy lifestyles; help prevent injuries, illness and disease in the community; and promote positive change and social conditions that improve health. Southwestern Public Health delivers mandated programs under the Ontario Public Health Standards and is regulated by the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act. The health unit maintains primary locations in Woodstock and St. Thomas. For more information, visit www.swpublichealth.ca.
Contacts
Megan Cornwell
Communications Manager | Southwestern Public Health
519-631-9900 x 1259 | 1-800-922-0096
mcornwell@swpublichealth.ca
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