I have symptoms of COVID-19 or have tested positive on a PCR or rapid antigen test. You should stay at home and self-isolate until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea) and you do not have a fever, even if a repeated test is negative.
While people become less contagious over time, they are still contagious with COVID for an average of eight days. That may vary depending on factors including underlying health conditions and the severity of illness.
If your day 5 test result remains positive, you must continue to isolate and can retest on day 7.
How long you should stay at home. Stay at home from the date you first had symptoms. You can leave home after 5 days if: your symptoms have fully or mostly gone for the last 48 hours.
Stay in self-quarantine for 10 days after your last exposure (unless you are fully vaccinated or tested positive for COVID-19 in the past and meet all criteria noted in the section above). Check daily for symptoms, wash hands, always wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet from others for 14 days.
You should: Stay home for 5 days. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you may leave your house.
COVID-19 symptoms (if you have them) typically start 2-14 days after infection and clear up within a few days or weeks. The severity and length of illness varies from person to person, and there's no certainty about how long COVID-19 stays in your body.
While people become less contagious over time, they are still contagious with COVID for an average of eight days. That may vary depending on factors including underlying health conditions and the severity of illness.
“In the early days of the pandemic, it was recommended to isolate for 10 days after having a positive COVID test. And then a few years ago, the CDC changed its recommendation: you could come out of isolation five days after receiving a positive test and wear a mask for the additional five days.”
After a positive test result, you may continue to test positive for some time. Some tests, especially NAAT tests, may continue to show a positive result for up to 90 days. Reinfections can occur within 90 days, which can make it hard to know if a positive test indicates a new infection.