Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hits Tulsa: What You Should Know About Self-Quarantine

Health professionals are asking some people to self-quarantine for 14 days to make sure they don’t start showing COVID-19 symptoms or pass the virus to someone else.

Friday, March 13th 2020, 10:23 pm

By: News On 6

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hits Tulsa: What You Should Know About Self-Quarantine

Health professionals are asking some people to self-quarantine for 14 days to make sure they don’t start showing COVID-19 symptoms or pass the virus to someone else.

The CDC said there is a difference between quarantine and isolation. Isolation is separating someone who is sick from healthy people. Quarantine is separating people who were exposed to a contagious disease but haven’t tested positive.

Public Information Manager Jamie Dukes with the Oklahoma State Department of Health said isolation is key.

"Stay away from public gatherings, away from going to work or school, or the grocery store. This literally means staying away from other people and then once they are in their home. If they are having to share a home with a number of other people, we are hoping that they will kind of stay to one end of the house as much as possible," said Dukes.

If you live alone, that might mean having your groceries delivered to your house or having a friend pick them up and drop them off at your door, so you don’t come into contact with other people.

Health professionals said public transportation like the bus or ride shares like Uber or Lyft, need to be avoided too (if you are self-quarantined). The time away from others isn't just about monitoring your own health but protecting people in the community who you might come in contact with, who might not be able to fight the virus off easily. Hygiene is also important. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze, wipe down surfaces you use the most- like your cell phone. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and as far as masks go.

"The mask then prevents them from spreading the germs to others. It is not a protection measure for those who are not sick," said Dukes.

If you start to show symptoms while you are in quarantine, call your doctor or the CDC.

The following are several helpful links:

","published":"2020-03-14T03:23:59.000Z","updated":"2020-03-14T03:40:15.000Z","summary":"Health professionals are asking some people to self-quarantine for 14 days to make sure they don’t start showing COVID-19 symptoms or pass the virus to someone else.","affiliate":{"_id":"5c784a0c4961cb23ad330098","callSign":"kotv","origin":"https://www.newson6.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-03-16T18:52:48.352Z","updatedAt":"2020-05-14T13:27:42.793Z","__v":12,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e6fcb00f86011d4820c4018/coronavirus-covid19-hits-tulsa:-what-you-should-know-about-selfquarantine","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e6fcb00f86011d4820c4018"};