Toolkit - COVID-19 Cases

Updated March 14, 2022

If you test positive for COVID-19 or develop COVID-19 symptoms, you will need to isolate. Isolating means staying home and away from others, except to seek medical care, because you are considered contagious.

Whether or not you are vaccinated, if you test positive for COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms:

• Isolate at home for 5 days, preferably in a separate room if you live with people.
• If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house.
• Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
+ If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.

Your isolation period begins the first day your symptoms started OR the date you test positive.

If you share a household with other people, they will need to stay home and quarantine. Check out our Toolkit for Close Contacts to learn more.

Need a letter excusing you from work while you isolate? Contact your health care provider’s office to request a work exclusion letter.

Notify Close Contacts
If you do not live or work in a high-risk setting or attend K-12 school, you should notify your close contacts who may have been exposed.

A person is considered a close contact if they are within 6 feet of someone infected with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes over a 24 hour period. An infected person can spread COVID-19 48 hours before they have symptoms.

You should ask close contacts to follow the recommendations outlined here so if they develop COVID-19, they don’t get others sick. Staying home is important because people can spread COVID-19 before they know they are sick.

Need assistance accessing something outside of your home while in isolation? Contact the Community CarePort program offered by Cascade Pacific Action Alliance for support: 1-800-662-2499.

To determine when you can return to community activities and most workplaces, use the Washington State Department of Health's decision trees shown below:

Additional Resources

• Decision Tree for non-healthcare settings and the public: (English)
• Calculate your isolation and quarantine period: (English)

• What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19: (English), (Spanish), (Russian)

• What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19: (English), (Spanish), (Russian)

• Recommended guidance for daily COVID-19 screening of employees and visitors: (English), (Spanish), (Russian)

• Answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 testing: (English)