Coronavirus Quarantine: How Long Should You Self-Isolate?

The rapid spread of the coronavirus caught everyone by surprise. Even health experts of governments around the world did not expect the pathogen to infect thousands of people in such a short time. In fact, many of them now compare it to the 1918 pandemic called the Spanish flu.

Because of the dangers that the virus poses, the UK government has imposed new and stringent measures, which include self-isolation and social distancing. Self-isolation calls for persons showing signs of coronavirus infection to stay at home for several days or until they feel better. Social distancing, on the other hand, involves keeping one to two meters of space between other people.

A Great Deal Of Adjustment

Many say they need to make a great deal of adjustment to observe the new measures. For instance, if you are living with someone who is starting to show coronavirus infection symptoms, then that means there is also a need for you to self-isolate. That is what the new government guidelines say you must do.

This means you have to skip work, avoid going to public places, and whenever possible, to limit your contact with other people, even your families or friends. The UK Prime Minister said that social distancing and self-isolation are two of the measures being imposed by the government to protect those who are deemed most vulnerable to coronavirus.

Self-Isolation Duration

The government has issued guidelines for those showing even the mildest symptoms of coronavirus and would have to go into self-isolation. The guidelines also include the duration or length of time needed for such self-isolation.

According to the government, if you are living alone and you start showing symptoms of COVID-19, even if extremely mild, you need to stay home for seven days. The seven-day count starts from when the symptoms first started. If you live with others and one of them or you start showing symptoms of coronavirus, then all the members of such a household must stay home for at least 14 days. The 14-day period begins the day when the first member of a household becomes ill. The government also said that no one should leave the house during that time.

A Necessary Measure

PM Boris Johnson said that the reason why members of the same household must isolate is because of the possibility they will infect each other or have already been infected. Staying at home for a minimum of 14 days will greatly minimize the total amount of infection that the household could transmit to others within their community.

If any member of such household starts displaying symptoms, they would have to stay home for seven days counting from the first day the symptoms appeared. This is irrespective of what day they are already on in the original 14-day period of isolation.

The government has also advised to move or transfer individuals deemed to be most vulnerable out of such households. These include the elderly and persons with underlying medical conditions. In the meantime, they can stay with other relatives or friends for the duration of the isolation period. If this is not possible, then you have to stay away from them or avoid them as much as you can.