What to do if you have come into close contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19
What to do if you have come in to close contact with someone who later tested positive for the COVID 19 or if you start to experience the common symptoms of the illness.
The Yurok Incident Command team has put together a general guide for what to do if you believe you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID 19 or if you begin feeling the common symptoms of the virus, such as a temperature, cough and /or difficulty breathing. First, we need to go over what public health professionals mean when they say close contact.
Examples of what counts as close contact?
• You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID 19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
• You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID 19
• You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
• You shared eating or drinking utensils
• They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best first action you can take if you have been in close contact to someone with COVID 19 is to self quarantine for a minimum of 14 days after the interaction , since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Even if you haven’t experienced any symptoms whatsoever, it is not safe to leave the home until the two weeks is up. Asymptomatic individuals can transmit the disease. Please monitor yourself for a fever, cough and/or shortness of breath. If you need assistance, please call the Yurok
COVID 19 Hotline number, which is 1 888 225 8952 Your identity will remain confidential. Tips for quarantining /isolating in a full house can be found at the bottom of this document.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, stay home and monitor your health for minimum of 14 days
• Stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID 19
• Watch for fever (100.4◦F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID 19
• The elderly and those with existing medical conditions are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID 19
• It is safe to end the quarantine after 14 days if you do not experience any symptoms during this time period.
• Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.
If within the two week quarantine period, you experience a temperature , a scratchy throat or difficulty breathing, please immediately contact your primary care provider to schedule a COVID 19 test Stay home except to acquire medical attention If you are need of assistance, please call the Yurok Public Health Officer at 1 888 225 8952 If you live with others, please isolate yourself as much as possible in the home . See below Tips for isolating/quarantining in a full house.
Local COVID-19 test options
There are multiple testing options in Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity Counties.
The local tribal healthcare providers, such as United Indian Health Services and K’ima:w Medical Center, are currently offering free testing symptomatic individuals. Del Norte, Humboldt and Trinity Counties are providing free tests for non symptomatic individuals. For additional information about testing in your area, please see the following links:
• http://unitedindianhealthservices.org/coronavirus/
• https://kimaw.org/
• https://www.covid19.dnco. org/testing
• https://humboldtgov.org/2787/COVID Test Registration
• https://www.trinitycounty.org/mobile test
Stay home except to get medical care i f you test positive or believe you have COVID 19 due to the onset of symptoms following close contact with someone who has the illness
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately
• Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over the counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
• Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs , or if you think it is an emergency
• Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible
• Use a separate bathroom, if possible
• Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets
• Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils
• Wear a mask when around other people, if possible
Remaining in quarantine or isolation for the recommended period of time will protect those in your household and the community f rom this highly contagious virus . For mild COVID 19 cases, the CDC has set the following parameters for when it is safe to leave isolation.
• 10 days since symptoms first appeared If you have a weakened immune system due to a health condition or medication, you might need to stay home and isolate longer than 10 days. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information and
• 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever reducing medications and
• COVID 19 symptoms have improved (for example, cough, shortness of breath)
*If you had severe illness from COVID 19 (you were admitted to a hospital and needed oxygen), your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after your symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days) and you may need to finish your period of isolation at home. Your healthcare provider
may recommend that you undergo repeat testing for COVID 19 to end your isolation earlier than would be done according to the criteria above. If so, you can be around others after you receive two negative tests results in a row, from tests done at least 24 hours apart.
If additional individuals live in your household, there are several precautions you can take to keep them safe. These same recommendations can be employed if someone in your home has COVID 19.
Tips for quarantining and/or isolating in a full house
• Use a separate room and bathroom for sick household members (if possible).
• Wash 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.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Wear a clean disposable facemask to wear at home, if available, to help prevent spreading COVID 19 to others.
• Clean the bed room and bathroom, as needed
Practicing all of the CDC’s personal safety recommendations is the best way to prevent
being exposed to COVID 19. It is especially important t o be extra cautious right now because of the recent rise in confirmed cases Exercising an abundance of caution is key to protecting the many Tribal elders and other vulnerable individuals who live on the Yurok Reservation Adhering to following guidelines will keep you, your family and the whole community safe:
• Maintain a minimum of 6 feet of personal space from individuals outside of the household
• Always wear a face covering outside of the home (Wash reusable mask frequently, only wear single use masks once)
• Shelter in place traveling outside of your county of residence is not recommended
• Due to the reservation closure order, accepting guests from outside of the area is not permitted
• Do not attend gatherings large or small, including visit s with extended family and friends
• Avoid all contact with anyone exhibiting COVID 19 symptoms
• Disinfect common touch points in the home
• Practice cough and sneeze etiquette (cover your sneezes and coughs with your arm. Wash hands immediately after cough or sneeze for additional protection)
• Perform frequent handwashing Wash hands every two hours for 20 30 seconds with water and soap)
• If you are ill, please self quarantine for 14 days and contact your medical provider
• Reminder: If you have one or more of the common symptoms of COVID 19, it is advised to stay home from work
For information about the Yurok Tribe’s response to the COVID 19 crisis, please visit:
https://www.yurokoes.org/ or call the COVID 19 hotline: 1 888 225 8952. For additional information about how to stay safe during the COVID 19 crisis please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 ncov/index.html
*All of the factual information in this document was sourced from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.