Coronavirus or COVID-19 was first reported in 2019 in the City of Wuhan in China. This disease spread quickly to other parts of China. At present, there are several confirmed cases of COVID-19 all around the world including Italy, the UK, the USA, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and India. Here are a few COVID 19 home quarantine guidelines you must follow if it comes to that.

A suspect or a case of COVID-19 once detected must be followed by quick isolation. Once the case has been identified s/he has to be isolated in the health center designated by the authorities. All contacts of the suspect case/confirmed case of COVID 19 have to be listed and they have to be home quarantined.
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – A Comprehensive Guide
Who Is A Contact?
First things first. A healthy individual who has come into contact with a person infected with a disease or has been exposed to an environment that is contaminated is referred to as a contact.
The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 contact can be identified by considering the following.
- Shared the same housing space with the suspect case of COVID-19
- Direct physical contact with a suspect/confirmed case
- Shared a closed space with the infected/suspect
- Came in to contact with secretions that are infected without the required covering/protection (Personal Protective Equipment-PPE)
- The possibility of breach of the personal protective equipment while in contact with a suspect/confirmed case
- Face to face contact at a distance shorter than 1 meter
- Travelled together: be it in a plane/train compartment/taxi/bus
- The association with the suspect/confirmed case of COVID-19 could have happened within 14 days before the disease onset.
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines For Contacts
Given below are some of the important instructions to be followed by a home quarantined contact.
- Remain in a single room
- The room must be properly ventilated
- Use a separate toilet/bathroom
- Maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter from the other person if the room is being shared
- Stay away from people with other diseases
- Stay away from children and the elderly
- Stay away from pregnant women
- Restricted movement within the house
- Do not attend public, religious, social gatherings
- This could include a funeral, a marriage, a conference etc
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – Health Measures To Be Adopted By The Contact
- Use a hand sanitizer that is alcohol-based regularly
- Wash your hands as often as you can
- Thoroughly wash your hands using soap and water
- Do not share your personal/household things with people at home
- This includes towels, clothes, plates, cups etc
- Always wear a surgical mask
- Change it every 6-8 hours
- Do not reuse a disposable mask
- These masks must be treated as potentially infected
- The mask used by the patient/close contacts/caretakers during isolation at home must be disinfected
- Use bleach/sodium hypochlorite to disinfect
- Dispose of by burying/burning it
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – Instructions For The Family Of The Contact
- Only one member should be assigned as care-taker
- Strictly prohibit visitors
- Direct skin contact must be avoided
- Clean the linen/surfaces regularly
- Use a pair of disposable gloves while cleaning
- After removing the gloves wash hands thoroughly
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – How To Disinfect The Environment?
- The quarantined person’s room must be cleaned regularly
- Especially surfaces like bed frames, chairs and tables etc
- Disinfect using a solution of Sodium Hypochlorite
- Use a bleach solution to disinfect the toilet and bathroom surfaces every day
- Linen and clothes used by the patient must be washed daily
- Wash it separately using detergents and dry it completely
Duration Of Home Quarantine
- 14 days if the person was in contact with a confirmed case of COVID 19
- A lesser period if the suspect’s COVID-19 laboratory test results turn out to be negative
In case the contact gets symptoms like fever, dry cough, breathing difficulty she/he must get in touch with the closest health care center immediately. The family members have to be quarantined for 14 days. Follow-up must be done for another 14 days or until the COVID-19 test results turn out to be negative.
Also See
- COVID-19 – Visa Freeze By US Embassy In India And Its Effect On IT Sector
- Coronavirus In USA – Trump’s Europen Travel Ban Explained
- COVID 19 Travel Restrictions Issued By India – Key Points
- COVID-19 Testing Centers In India And State-Wise Helpline Numbers
- Corona Travel Tips – Stay Safe
- Coronavirus Travel Restrictions And Border Shutdowns – A country-Wise List