Kansas Department of Health and Environment Updated Quarantine Guidance

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Created on Monday, 21 December 2020 14:49

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (“KDHE”) has adopted a modified version of the CDC’s shortened quarantine guidance. However, each county Local Health Officer has the ultimate decision on whether to adopt the shortened quarantine guidance. Please check with your local county authority to determine the appropriate quarantine guidance for your locality.

The new KDHE requirements are as follows:

Quarantine with testing:

1. After exposure, monitored daily (self-monitoring or active monitoring by Public Health) for seven (7) days. An exposed person is only eligible for shortened quarantine if he or she has no symptoms.
2. On or after day five (5), an exposed person may get a PCR test (nasal swab test) (antigen and antibody tests are NOT allowed for this purpose) – if the result is negative, the exposed person may be removed from quarantine after day seven (7).
3. The exposed person must remain asymptomatic (no symptoms).

Quarantine without testing:

1. After exposure, monitored daily (self-monitoring or active monitoring) daily for ten (10) days. The exposed person is only eligible for shortened quarantine if he or she has no symptoms.
2. After ten (10) days, the exposed person can be released from quarantine without a test.
3. The exposed person must remain asymptomatic (no symptoms).

All exposed people should self-monitor for fourteen (14) days from exposure and contact healthcare provider if symptoms develop. Disease can still develop through day fourteen (14). The fourteen (14) day quarantine period after an exposure is still the best recommendation. CDC is not changing the incubation period for COVID-19. Guidance for a shortened quarantine period is aimed at increasing compliance. Shortened quarantine does NOT apply to residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities and does NOT apply to offender populations in prisons. These types of settings are high risk for outbreaks and house some of our most vulnerable populations.

ATTENTION SHAWNEE COUNTY EMPLOYERS:

Shawnee County currently has a Public Health Order for Home Quarantine (attached) mandating a ten (10) day quarantine for any individuals who: 1) have either received an exposure notification from Public Health officials (state or local) or have personal knowledge that they have been in close contact with a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 or 2) have traveled to a location listed on KDHE travel related quarantine guidelines, as listed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

If you have any questions regarding quarantine requirements, please contact HR Partners at 785-233-7860.

SHAWNEE COUNTY COVID19_Home_Quarantine_Order_12032020

Shortened Quarantine Period