COVID-19 Common Information

Protect Yourself

How can people protect themselves?

The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to practice good hygiene and stay up to date with your vaccines:

Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue or the corner of your sleeve. Do not use your hands.
Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, especially your mouth, nose and eyes.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
Stay home if you are sick, especially from work, school and public places.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
CDPH strongly recommends all people, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a face covering in indoor public places.
If you are immune compromised or unvaccinated, it's recommended to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from people who are not part of your immediate household.

Face Covering Guidelines & Recommendations

In California, masks are no longer required to be worn but are strongly recommended for the following reasons and settings:

High-risk settings where vulnerable individuals live or are cared for (hospitals, nursing homes, prisons).
Public transportation and air travel.
Public indoor settings that are crowded.
Unvaccinated persons.
Persons at-risk for severe disease (elderly, underlying medical conditions).
Persons with decreased immunity.
Persons with known significant exposure to COVID-19.

What is a face covering?

A material that covers the nose and mouth, made of a variety of materials, such as cotton, silk, or linen. A cloth face covering may be factory-made or sewn by hand or can be improvised from household items such as scarfs, T-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels.

Use and care: Wear a clean mask every time you go out. Wash in the laundry or by hand between uses.

Who should not wear a mask?

Children under 2 years old
Anyone with respiratory issues where it would impede their breathing
Anyone unable to remove the mask without help
Anyone with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that does not allow them to wear a mask

People at Increased Risk

Some people are more likely than others to become severely ill from COVID-19. Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may need: hospitalization, intensive care and a ventilator to help them breathe or they may even die. People at increased risk, and those who live or visit with them, need to take precautions to protect themselves from getting COVID-19, these include:

Adults over the age of 65
People with underlying medical conditions
Pregnant and recently pregnant women
People who remain unvaccinated

Symptoms of COVID-19

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported - ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Severe Symptoms

People with severe symptoms of respiratory illness should call their healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead so that you can be safely evaluated to prevent exposing others. Your healthcare provider will evaluate you and determine the best course of action for your illness, including whether or not you should be tested.

What to Do if You Have Covid-19 or Have Been Exposed?

Visit the CDPH website for more information.

CDPH Updated Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines

Isolation for COVID-19 Positive Individuals (Regardless of Vaccination Status)

All individuals with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status:

Stay home for at least five days.
Isolation can end after day five if symptoms are not present or resolving and if you are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
If a fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after the fever resolves.
If symptoms, other than fever, are not resolving continue to isolate until symptoms are resolving or until after day 10.
Wear a well-fitting mask when around others, especially indoors, for 10 days from the date of a positive test. *
After ending isolation, if your symptoms recur or worsen, get tested again and if positive, restart isolation at day 0.

* Confirmed cases, after ending isolation with no fever/improving symptoms, may remove their mask sooner than day 10 if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart.

For Individuals Exposed to COVID-19

Asymptomatic persons who are exposed to someone with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status do not need to quarantine unless they live or work in a high-risk setting.

Get tested 3 to 5 days after the last day of exposure
Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 total days around others, especially indoors, from the date of exposure
If symptoms develop, test and stay home
If the test result is positive, follow isolation recommendations

Quarantine for High-Risk Exposure

Those working or living in high-risk settings who are not fully vaccinated or who haven't been infected in the past 90 days still must quarantine for at least five days following an exposure even if they don't have symptoms. See full CDPH Quarantine Guidance for details. High-risk settings include:

Emergency Shelters and cooling and heating centers
Healthcare settings
Homeless shelters
Long-term care settings and Adult and Senior Care Facilities
Local correctional facilities and detention centers

If I Test Positive for Covid-19, Will I Be Contacted by Public Health?

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 please follow the instructions to safely isolate during your infection. You may or may not be contacted by Public Health based on your caseload. The number of positive cases currently being confirmed in Butte County makes it impossible for Public Health to contact every positive person. If you contact public health because you have received a positive COVID-19 test result, have symptoms of COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please allow 24 to 48 hours to receive a return call.

Travel

California no longer has a travel advisory in effect. There are now no state recommendations to test and quarantine before and after travel. For international travel, please visit the CDC travel information page for the latest travel alerts, restrictions, and guidance.

However, the California Department of Public Health asks that you do the following:

Delay travel until you're fully vaccinated
If you're not fully vaccinated, but choose to travel, get tested before and after
No matter your vaccination status, wear a mask while on public transportation or in a transportation hub

Get tested if you feel sick, and avoid traveling if you have or may have COVID-19.