How long to quarantine after positive COVID test with symptoms

If you test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate to protect others. If you are exposed, you should get tested, and may need to quarantine.

On this page:

Quarantine vs. isolation

Quarantine means staying home. It is no longer required for most people who have been exposed, but test negative. But it may be recommended if you live or work in a high-risk setting.

Isolation means staying home and away from others in your household. It is for people who are ill or test positive.

Read more at CDPH’s Isolation and Quarantine Guidance and CDC’s Quarantine and Isolation.

If you were exposed but have no symptoms

Regardless of your vaccination status:

• Get tested 3-5 days from last exposure
• Wear a mask around others for 10 days, even at home
• If test result is positive, isolate

If you had COVID-19 within the last 90 days:

• You don’t need to test unless symptoms start
• If symptoms start, isolate and get tested

Learn more in What to Do if You Are Exposed from CDPH.

If you test positive or have symptoms

Regardless of your vaccination status or infection history:

• Isolate for at least 5 days
  • Sleep and stay in a separate room from those not infected
  • Use a separate bathroom if you can
  • Wear a mask around others, even at home
• Get tested (antigen preferred) on Day 5
• End isolation on Day 6 if:
  • You test negative, AND
  • Have no fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medication, AND
  • Your other symptoms are gone or going
• End isolation on Day 10 if:
  • You test positive on Day 5 or don’t test, AND
  • You have no fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medication
• If you still have a fever, continue to isolate until it’s been gone for 24 hours
• After you recover, wear a mask around others for 10 full days after start of symptoms or your positive test

For children who test positive:

• Children under 2 can end isolation on Day 6 without a negative test
• Children 2 years and older should follow the steps above for ending isolation

Learn more in What to Do if You Test Positive from CDPH.

High-risk settings

Work exclusion or quarantine is advised for some exposed workers and residents in high-risk settings.

High-risk settings include:

• Emergency shelters
• Cooling and heating centers
• Some healthcare settings
• Local correctional facilities and detention centers
• Homeless shelters
• Long-term care

If you’ve completed your primary vaccination series and booster (if eligible):

• You don’t need to quarantine or stay home from work unless symptoms start
• Get tested immediately and on Day 3-5 following exposure
• If you test positive or symptoms start, isolate

If you had COVID-19 within the last 90 days:

• You don’t need to test, quarantine, or stay home from work unless symptoms start
• If symptoms start, isolate and get tested

If you’re not vaccinated, are incompletely-vaccinated, or have completed your primary vaccination series and are booster-eligible but not boosted:

• Quarantine or stay home from work for at least 5 days
• Wear a mask around others
• Get tested on Day 5
• If you test positive or symptoms develop, isolate
• If you test negative and have no symptoms, end quarantine or work exclusion after Day 5
• If you don’t test and have no symptoms, end quarantine or work exclusion after Day 10

Exceptions

Rules for isolation and quarantine may be more restrictive in your area. Check your area’s COVID-19 website.

This isolation and quarantine guidance does not apply in some healthcare settings. See CDPH Guidance on Quarantine and Isolation for Health Care Personnel.

Support during quarantine or isolation

If you can’t work because you have COVID-19 or are near someone who has it, you can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim. 

If you can’t work because you are caring for a family member with COVID-19, there is help for your lost wages. File a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. 

In both these cases, you must have a note from a healthcare worker.

Questions and answers

If you continue to have no symptoms:

• Test again after 5 days. If you test negative, you can be with others.
• Wear a mask around others for 10 days, even at home.

The CDC has recommendations for people who test positive but have no symptoms.

You should self-isolate (stay home and away from others). Avoid those in your household who have not tested positive: 

• Sleep and stay in a separate room from them
• Use a separate bathroom, if possible
• Wear a mask around others

Multiple infected people in the same household can use the same room for isolation. Learn more in What to Do if You Test Positive from CDPH.

Members of your household should get tested and mask for 10 days. They do not have to test if they had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 90 days.

Learn more in What to Do if You Are Exposed from CDPH.

See more information on the reporting your result page.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you must tell your household contacts as soon as you can. The Department will not do this for you.

Your household contacts (also known as close contacts) are:

• people who you have spent 4 or more hours within a house, care facility or accommodation while you were infectious.

• Household contacts must observe the following steps for their 7-day household contact period:

  • test negative using a rapid antigen test on 5 days of the 7-day period (with tests spaced at least 24 hours apart)
  • wear a mask indoors when outside home
  • do not visit hospitals or care facilities
  • notify their employer or education facility if they are likely to attend during the 7-day period
  • If they do not follow these steps, they must quarantine for the 7-day period – and are required to get tested on Day 1 and Day 6.

  Household contacts should view their checklist for full information about their requirements and the length of their household contact period.

• • Let them know first, before any other contacts. They are the most important, because they are the most likely people to have contracted COVID-19.
  • Send them this link to Checklist for COVID contacts. It has useful information for them, including on what to do if other members of the household test positive for COVID-19.
  • If the contacts don't like the situation, remember you are doing what you are required to do under the law, in order to keep them and others safe.
  • You must tell them they are household contacts, but if they are adults and do not follow the advice to isolate, that’s their legal responsibility, not yours. You won't face any penalties if they refuse.

• Before you tell household contacts, you need to know when you were infectious.

  You should only inform the household contacts who you have spent four or more hours with (in a house, care facility or accommodation) while you were infectious.

  Follow this table to determine when your infectious period started:

  Did you have symptoms?	Your infectious period
  Yes	Your infectious period started two days before you noticed symptoms.
  No	Your infectious period started two days before the day you got tested.

  For example:

  • If you first noticed symptoms on Friday afternoon, your infectious period is all of Wednesday onwards (i.e. two days before Friday).
  • If you didn’t have any symptoms prior to your test, and you were tested on Friday afternoon (regardless of when you received your positive result), your infectious period is all of Wednesday onwards.

  Read the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

If you test positive to COVID-19, you must tell the social and workplace contacts who you spent time with while you were infectious. This includes colleagues at work. You may also inform people at a school or other education facility.

If they have symptoms of COVID-19, they must get tested. If they don’t have symptoms, they are strongly recommended to use rapid antigen tests every day for 5 days. You can access free rapid antigen tests at testing centres.

Your social and workplace contacts are:

• people you know (including people you worked alongside at a workplace) who you spent 15 minutes with face to face, or more than 2 hours with in the same indoor space, while you were infectious.
• household contacts follow different rules and are not your social contacts. Contacts from your work or your education facility will be informed by the workplace and education facility.

• You can read Checklist for COVID contacts for full information on social and workplace contacts.

  Once you tell your social and workplace contacts, they must:

  • Use a rapid antigen test if they have symptoms, or a PCR test if they can’t access a rapid antigen test.
  • If they don't have symptoms, they are strongly recommended to use rapid antigen tests every day for 5 days.

  The Department of Health will not tell your social and workplace contacts this information for you. It’s up to you to take this important action to protect your friends, colleagues and family.

• Social and workplace contacts are generally people you know, who spent time with you, and who you don’t live with you.

  Formally, a social or workplace contact is someone who you spent 15 minutes or more with face-to-face, or more than 2 hours with in the same indoor space.

  Remember that if someone spent more than four hours with you in a house, they are your household contact and have different requirements.

  The following are some examples of a social or workplace contact:

  • Friends or family you caught up with outside a house
  • Staff members at work
  • Friends or family who visited your home to socialise for under four hours
  • Someone you visited at a care facility for under four hours
  • People who you spent time with at a wedding, funeral, church, community event, community sports game or club meet
    • We also encourage you to tell the host/organiser/leader of these events. It will be up to them if they wish to pass on any information to others who you don’t know.
  • Your personal trainer
  • Your GP, MCH nurse or similar health provider
  • A worker, tutor, carer or babysitter who visited your house for a shift
    • If you don’t have any way of directly contacting a worker who came to your house, you’re not required to contact them.
    • If they spent more than four hours at your house, then they are a household contact.

  The above is a guide and is not a full list of people who would be considered social contacts.

  The following are examples of people who are not your social contact:

  • Strangers who were at the table next to you at the restaurant
  • Your Uber driver or people you stood near on public transport
  • The person who served you in a restaurant or at a shop.

  People you or your child spent time with at an education facility (school, early childhood, childcare, higher ed):

  • When you tell you or your child’s education facility about testing positive, then it’s the school or centre’s role to record this information, inform affected groups, and continue to recommend regular testing among staff and students.

• • Start simple. Think of the obvious people (e.g. best friends, siblings) who you know really well and spend the most time with.
  • Think of the places you went while infectious. Check your messages, banking app, travel or geolocation history, or diary. Make a list if it helps.
  • Don’t feel too much pressure. This is a normal thing to do, like telling people you have the flu. Your friends will appreciate that you’ve taken steps to protect them.
  • If you’re not sure what to say, then copy and paste the example messages below. You can add what you like to make it more personal - it’s just a guide.
  • Send them this linkto the contacts checklist. It has useful information for them as social contacts.

• You can use the following text as a guide to the messages you send or the conversations you have with your social and workplace contacts:

  Hi NAME,

  I recently tested positive to COVID-19.

  The Department of Health has recommended I tell you about my positive result because I spent time with you while I was infectious. This makes you a social contact.

  According to the Health Department's website, if you have any symptoms, you must get a rapid antigen test, or a PCR test if you can’t access a rapid antigen test.

  If you don't have symptoms, you are recommended to use a rapid antigen test once a day for five days.

  Here’s more info on what you need to do: https://go.vic.gov.au/3Akaas

  Other people in your home, workplace or social group aren’t required to do anything. If you test positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health will contact you about what to do next.

• If you've been to a big social event - like a party, wedding, funeral, religious gathering, community gathering or club meet - then the social contacts are the people you know who you spent time with at these events.

  However, we also encourage you to tell the organiser/host/leader of these events that you had COVID-19 while you were there.

  It will be up to them if they wish to tell all the other guests at the event who you may not know. We recommend they tell the guests to monitor for symptoms and get tested if any develop.

  You can use this text as a guide to your message or conversation with the organiser/host/leader of the event:

  Hi NAME,

  I recently tested positive to COVID-19 and I was at [insert the event] while I was infectious.

  I have already told the social contacts who I know and spent time with at the event. If they develop symptoms, they are required to get a rapid antigen test (or a PCR test if they can’t access a rapid antigen test).

  You may wish to tell guests who were at the event that:

  • someone with COVID-19 attended the event
  • if anyone gets symptoms, they should get a rapid antigen test (or a PCR test if they can’t access a rapid antigen test)
  • the case has already told the social contacts who they spent time with at the event.

• Before you tell social contacts, you need to know when you were infectious.

  You should only inform the social contacts you were with while you were infectious.

  Follow this table to determine when your infectious period started:

  Did you have symptoms?	Your infectious period
  Yes	Your infectious period started two days before you noticed symptoms.
  No	Your infectious period started two days before the day you got tested.

  For example:

  • If you first noticed symptoms on Friday afternoon, your infectious period is all of Wednesday onwards (i.e. two days before Friday).
  • If you didn’t have any symptoms prior to your test, and you were tested on Friday afternoon (regardless of when you received your positive result), your infectious period is all of Wednesday onwards.

  Read the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

Step 5: Tell your workplace and/or education facility

Workplace:

You must tell your employer/workplace if you worked onsite while infectious.

As a general notice, the workplace will advise all staff that someone was infectious at work – but the workplace will not identify your contacts for you and inform them individually.

That’s why you are also required to tell the workers who you came into contact with at work.

Education facility:

An education facility is a school, childcare centre, early childhood education centre or school boarding house.

You must tell your (or your child's) education facility if you or your child attended while infectious with COVID-19.

Do this as soon as you can after the positive test.

As a general notice, the education facility operator will advise staff and students (and/or their parents, guardians or carers) that someone infectious attended.

Ending isolation and recovering long-term

You may still feel the impacts of your COVID-19 infection after your 7 day isolation period has finished.

Following the below advice will help you protect yourself and others as you leave isolation and recovery long-term.

• You do not need to get tested again to be released from isolation after 7 days. You are automatically released at this point.

• If you still have symptoms at the end of your 7 day isolation period, there is a possibility you may still be infectious with COVID-19.

  The types of symptoms you have are important.

  If you have a sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath in the last 24 hours of your isolation:

  • you should remain isolated until 24 hours after your symptoms have resolved.

  If you only have other symptoms (such as fever, headaches) which are not getting better:

  • you can leave isolation but you can contact your GP, Nurse On Call or care pathway contact if you are concerned about your health.

• If you have recovered from COVID-19, you are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine if you are re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending your isolation period.

  During these 4 weeks, if you get new symptoms, we recommend you stay at home until your symptoms resolve. If you are at a high risk of severe illness, get tested.

  After 4 weeks, you must follow the relevant advice depending on the type of contact you are.

• People aged 5 and over who have had COVID-19 and are due for their next dose of COVID-19 vaccine should wait 3 months from testing positive before getting their next vaccine dose.

  Waiting for a 3-month period after infection before COVID-19 vaccination aims to provide better and longer protection against re-infection from COVID-19.

  People with long COVID symptoms can still get vaccinated and can discuss this with their doctor if they have any questions.

  Remember, you can still get COVID-19 again if you have previously been infected. There is no guarantee that symptoms during your second infection will be milder than your first. Getting three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will give you the best available protection.

  ATAGI recommends that the following groups are encouraged to receive a fourth ‘winter booster’ dose:

  • people aged 50 years and above
  • people aged 16 years and above who are severely immunocompromised
  • residents of aged care or disability care facilities
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and above
  • people aged 16 years and above who have a medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness
  • people aged 16 years and above who have disabilities with significant, complex,or multiple health issues, which increase the risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19 infection
  • people aged 30 years and above (optional).

• Long COVID is when you have symptoms for many weeks or months after your initial COVID-19 infection.

  If you feel that you have symptoms of long COVID speak to your regular doctor (general practitioner or GP), they can help you manage these symptoms on your road to recovery.

  To see more information, visit the Long COVID page.

Reviewed 12 July 2022

If you suspect you may have COVID-19 call the dedicated hotline – open 24 hours, 7 days. The COVIDSafe Information hotline diverts to the national hotline every day from 8pm to 8am.

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