The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has adjusted its policy for coronavirus-based isolation and quarantine.
The guidance follows with guidance issued this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Specifics from KDHE:
The general population policy now has people with lab-confirmed infections isolating for five days, regardless of vaccination status. Infected residents can leave their house if they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they are fever-free without using medications for 24 hours. Even after leaving the house, infected residents should wear masks around other people for five days.
Fully-vaccinated residents within six months of last dose for Pfizer and Moderna or two months of Johnson & Johnson, along with boosted residents, do not have to stay home if they are close contacts with confirmed COVID patients, but they should wear masks around others for 10 days. Vaccinated residents should also get tested five days after close contact.
Unvaccinated residents or fully-vaccinated, unboosted residents outside the effective vaccination windows — two months for Johnson & Johnson, six months for Moderna or Pfizer — are told to stay home for five days if they are close contacts. They also need to wear a mask for another five days. Residents unable to quarantine must wear a mask for 10 days and, if possible, get tested on Day 5.
For health care workers in a hospital setting, employees with lab-confirmed COVID infections should isolate for 10 days without a test or seven days with asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic with improving symptoms or a negative test. Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients can return to work only with COVID-positive patients during the rest of the 10-day infectious period.
Boosted and asymptomatic health care workers who are close contacts have no work restrictions with negative tests on Day 2 and after Day 5. Unvaccinated asymptomatic or unboosted health care workers that are close contacts must quarantine for seven days with a negative test or 10 days without a test.
