Should I still isolate myself after a positive test? Is it ok to do my own shopping (with a mask) or should I call someone? Do I still wait for a negative test or simply to be free of symptoms? Since people around me don’t really talk about Covid anymore and my country doesn’t have any guidelines in place, I’d be interested in your takes. I don’t wanna be a d*ck to others but would also rather not overshoot and lock myself up at home for two weeks like in the early days. (I hope this doesn’t count as asking for medical advice.)
Edit: Thanks y’all. Guess I just needed to hear that even though everyone has been talking of “after Covid”, the situation hasn’t fundamentally changed despite our lives having normalized. I’ll be cancelling plans and staying home.
Yes. You can still infect others and others can still have long covid reactions or complications.
No, because that is not isolation. The vast majority of supermarkets these days do parking lot pick up or even home delivery
According to the CDC, you can end isolation after a negative test. I would strongly encourage after TWO negative tests because the home testers are far from perfect. The last time I had covid I tested after my symptoms were “mostly gone” and once I had a negative morning test I then did an evening test to confirm.
But, above all: Even if you refuse to acknowledge that covid is serious, you can go a long way by treating it like the flu. If you are sick, don’t go out in public. Don’t cough on people or sneeze on people. And if you are at all concerned you are sick, wear a mask indoors to avoid spreading it to others.
Sorry I don’t think it’s true that the CDC recommends isolating until you have a negative test.
You might still have antigens and therefore test positive for many weeks after no longer being infectious.
There’s a page at the CDC that says if you suspect you have covid then isolate, test after a few days, then if you test negative you can end isolation. If you test positive then you need to isolate for 5 days or something.
If you test positive you don’t need to wait for a negative result.
Culture starts at the top. Set a good example. Send people home when they are sick. If you don’t enforce your culture people will make up their own.