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COVID - 19 Definitions
Coronavirus: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a virus that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has spread throughout the world.
Contact Tracing: A process used by health departments to prevent the spread of infectious disease. In general, contact tracing involves identifying people who have an infectious disease (cases) and their contacts (people who may have been exposed) and working with them to interrupt disease transmission. For COVID-19, this includes asking cases to isolate and contacts to quarantine at home voluntarily.
Quarantine: The practice of keeping someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine must stay home (usually 14 days), separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.
Isolation: The practice of separating people infected with the virus (those who are sick with COVID-19 and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected. People who are in isolation (usually for 10 days) must stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected must separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available).
Close Contact: A person who was within 6 feet of a person infected with COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes with or without a mask. Examples of close contacts include individuals who were close to a person who is
infected with COVID-19 by providing care to them at home, sharing a living space, having direct physical contact with them (touched, hugged or kissed them), and sharing eating or drinking utensils. People may also be close contacts if they were somehow exposed to droplets from an infected person (sneezed or coughed on).