CHICAGO — Chicagoans need to take the 14-day quarantine period for coronavirus seriously, the city’s top doctor said Tuesday.
People who have been exposed to coronavirus should self-isolate for 14 days, staying home and avoiding contact with others, according to experts. That’s what’s recommended in Chicago, as well.
Even people who take a test and get a negative result must wait out the two weeks, Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said during a Tuesday press conference.
“Please take the quarantine period seriously,” Arwady said. “If you’ve been advised that you need to quarantine because … you’ve had close contact with someone with COVID, you need to complete the full 14 days of quarantine, regardless of whether you have a test result that is negative.”
That’s because it can take up to 14 days for people to show symptoms of COVID-19 and test positive, Arwady said, adding there have been cases in Chicago where someone tested early and returned to work or school — but then developed coronavirus and spread it.
RELATED: Chicago Making ‘Some Improvement’ Against Coronavirus, City’s Top Doctor Says
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
