COVID-19 is circulating in Iowa communities and many more Iowans are likely to become ill in the coming weeks. This guidance describes isolation recommendations for ill and well essential services personnel, as well as all Iowans.
Essential Services Personnel includes the following categories:
- Healthcare providers
- Law enforcement
- Fire & EMS personnel
- Long Term Care personnel
- Residential Support Facility personnel
Isolation recommendations for well Essential Services Personnel with potential COVID-19 Exposure
Stay home and isolate yourself from others in the home for 14 days after your last exposure. Essential services personnel are allowed to go to work as long as they remain asymptomatic and monitor their temperature at the beginning and end of their shift. If essential services personnel become symptomatic at any point during their shift, they should be sent home immediately and self-isolate until the conditions below (recommendations for all ill essential services personnel) are met.
If essential services personnel are providing healthcare in a hospital, long term care or residential care facility, they should wear a procedure/surgical mask when providing care (within 6 feet of patients). All other essential services personnel should practice social distancing, as feasible. There may be times when these personnel are unable to social distance, however and because personal protective equipment is in short supply and because these contacts will generally be lower risk, there is no requirement to wear a procedure/surgical mask.
Recommendations for all ill Essential Services Personnel
Stay home and isolate from others in the house until:
- You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers)
AND
- other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved)
AND
- at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared
Isolation recommendations for well Iowans with potential COVID-19 exposure
Iowans should stay at home and isolate themselves from others in the home in the following situations:
- Taken a cruise anywhere in the world in the last 14 days.
- Traveled internationally to a country with a level 3 travel warning in the last 14 days.
- Close contact with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case in the last 14 days.
Recommendations for all ill Iowans
Stay home and isolate from others in the house until:
- You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers)
AND
- other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved)
AND
- at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
