Johnson County Community Health recently announced the County will be keeping the 14 day Quarantine for persons who might have been exposed to COVID-19. As opposed to adopting a shorter quarantine time which the Centers for Disease Control says may be permissible in some communities to reduce the time people have to miss work, and lessen the stress on our public health system.

In a Facebook post Johnson County Community Health points out that the CDC still strongly recommends a 14 day quarantine. Additionally JCCHS says that the Department of Health and Senior Services in Missouri recommends shorter quarantine restriction for communities within a County Action Plan Level 3 status or better.

With Johnson County at or near a 15% positivity rate the County is currently in the Level 1: Extreme Risk Category as defined in the DHSS Public Health Warning. At this level the state recommends that the quarantine time stay at 14 days.

To be clear a quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others. Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home. People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 need to quarantine.

Close contact means you were within six feet of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more, provided care to person sick with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with the person, shared eating or drinking utensils, or they sneezed, coughed or got respiratory droplets on you.

The Pettis County Health Center made a similar decision this week, however, their policy allows for citizens who are asymptomatic and "absolutely can not maintain the 14 day quarantine" to stop after 10 days.

Johnson County Community Health Services says they will revisit the quarantine length after the County's positivity rate drops to 10% or less.

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