How to isolate at home when you have COVID-19
Isolation means staying home and avoiding all contact with other people.
If you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, you’re expected to follow these measures.
Limit contact with others
- Don’t leave your home (unless seeking urgent medical care).
- Arrange to have supplies dropped off at your door.
- Stay in a separate room in your home and use a separate bathroom, if possible.
- If you must be in contact with others, keep at least 2 meters away. Keep interactions brief and wear a mask.
- Avoid contact with pets (if you live with others who may also be petting the animal).
Keep your hands clean
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and dry with disposable paper towels or dry reusable towel, replacing it when it becomes wet.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cough or sneeze into the bend of your arm or into a tissue.
Avoid contaminating common items and surfaces
- At least once daily, clean and disinfect surfaces that you touch often, like toilets, doorknobs, handles, phones, and remote controls.
- Put the lid of the toilet down before flushing.
- Do not share personal items, such as toothbrushes, towels, bed linen, utensils, or electronic devices.
- To disinfect, use regular household disinfectants or diluted bleach (1 part bleach and 9 parts water).
- If items cannot be disinfected, place them in a lined container, secure the contents, and dispose with other household waste.
Care for yourself
- Monitor your symptoms as directed by your health care provider or public health authority.
- If your symptoms get worse, immediately contact your health care provider or public health authority and follow their instructions.
- Get some rest, eat a balanced diet, and stay in touch with others through communication devices.
Supplies to have at home when isolating
- Disposable masks (do not re-use)
- Disposable gloves (do not re-use)
- Disposable paper towels
- Eye protection
- Tissues
- Garbage bags
- Thermometer
- Over-the-counter medication to reduce fever (e.g., ibuprofen or acetaminophen)
- Hand soap
- Dish soap
- Regular laundry soap
- Regular household cleaning products
- Alcohol-based sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol
- Bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite) and a separate container for dilution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water)
- Alcohol prep wipes
Let’s all do our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
For more information:
1-833-784-4397, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html