Southern Nevada Health District COVID-19 Update

Quarantine Guidance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 2, 2020

LAS VEGAS – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released options to reduce quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19 from the current 14 day period to 10 days without testing or seven days if they have received a negative test result. Based on local circumstances and available local resources, the Southern Nevada Health District is implementing these quarantine options in Clark County effective immediately. The options for seven and 10 day quarantine include:

• Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
  • With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission is estimated to be about 1 percent with an upper limit of about 10 percent.
• Quarantine can end after seven days if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation (to allow time for the specimen to be processed) but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
  • With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 5 percent with an upper limit of about 12 percent.

Contacts who will be in quarantine for a seven to 10 day period will be advised to continue to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. They will also be advised to continue to follow all mitigation strategies, including wearing face coverings when around others and staying home as much as possible.

The full CDC recommendations are available at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.