Isolation for COVID-19

Complete the Isolation Affirmation  form. This along with your test results serve as your legal documentation.

Important Instructions for COVID-19 Positive Individuals
Take immediate action to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Please Note:  New York State has concluded the case investigation and contact tracing process effective 12/30/202. Please follow the isolation instructions below and contact Wyoming County Health Department if further guidance is needed.  

Isolate yourself at home.

Do not leave the house unless you have been instructed to visit a health care facility. You can end home isolation if these three conditions are met:

• It has been at least five (5) days since you first experienced symptoms;
• You have been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine, and;
• Your symptoms are improving.

If you do not experience symptoms, you can be around others after 5 days from your test date.

Notify your close contacts.  New York State has concluded case investigation and contact tracing process effective 12/30/2022. Please  follow the quarantine instructions below and contact Wyoming County Health Department if further guidance is needed.   

Please notify all individuals you had close contact with from 2 days before you started having symptoms (or 2 days before your positive test if you have no symptoms) so that they may begin to quarantine. A close contact is anyone within 6 feet of a positive person for a total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours.

Avoid contact with other household members.

This especially applies to those who are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness (elderly or immunocompromised individuals and those with respiratory problems:

• Wear a disposable face mask to protect others from contaminated respiratory droplets that enter the air when you cough or sneeze.
• Stay in a separate room with a separate bathroom, if possible.
• Maintain at least 6 feet distance from others.
• Avoid sharing personal household items such as dishes, eating utensils, cups, towels, or bedding.
• Avoid contact with household pets if there are others living with you and the pets
• Keep all ‘high-touch’ surfaces clean. This includes doorknobs, tabletops, telephones, and even your computer and keyboard.

Practice good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene.

• Avoid touching your eyes and mouth.
• Dispose of tissues after coughing or sneezing.
• Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Contact your healthcare provider if symptoms worsen.

Monitor your symptoms and contact your healthcare provider if symptoms worsen. If you are older than 65, or you are immunocompromised or have an underlying chronic health condition, you have a higher risk of developing more severe COVID-19 illness. Follow the same practices as everyone else, closely monitor your symptoms, and seek medical care if your symptoms worsen.

Signs of serious illness include trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, or difficulty staying awake.

If you require medical attention or have questions related to your personal health care, please follow up directly with your primary care provider. You should avoid public transportation.

If you experience a medical emergency or need immediate medical attention, please dial 911 for help, and notify them that you have tested positive for COVID-19.

Wyoming County has implemented the New York State guidelines for Isolation and Quarantine released January 4, 2022.
Individuals that work in healthcare settings should follow the Interim Advisory on Return-to-Work Protocols for Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Healthcare Settings issued by New York State on January 4, 2022.

• Isolation
  • Isolation keeps someone who is infected with COVID-19 away from others. If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home, avoid contact with others, and contact those you may have exposed.
  • If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate for 5 days past the onset of symptoms. If you do not have symptoms, then you must isolate for 5 days past the date your test sample was collected.
  • Isolate immediately. 
  • Identify your close contacts and advise them to quarantine (below)
  • Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days from the date of your symptom onset (or date of positive test if no symptoms).
  • Interim Advisory on Return-to-Work Protocols for Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Healthcare Settings
  • NEW:  Wyoming County Health Department is now providing self-attestation forms (see links below) in place of the Commissioner’s Orders that were previously sent by the case investigators and contact tracers. These new forms are legal documentation and may be used for release from isolation, and for New York Paid Family Leave COVID-19 claims.