Health and Social Services > Public Health > Epidemiology > Infectious Disease > COVID-19: When to Stay Home

Stay home if you are sick

Social distancing is one of the most important things you can do during a pandemic to help save lives and prevent our health care system from exceeding capacity. So, when you do go out of the house, be sure you continue to practice social distancing and wear a cloth face cover when going into businesses or into gatherings other than with members of your household.

What you can do

If you have symptoms

If you are sick

If you may have been exposed

Help put a lid on COVID!

COVID-19 case rates are continuing to rise in many Alaska communities. We are urging Alaskans to exercise caution and take the following steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Get tested if you feel sick at all. Stay home and isolate; don’t be around others if you are not feeling well.
If you test positive, let close contacts know so they can protect others.
Quarantine for a full 14 days if you are a known close contact to a person with COVID.
Consider getting tested 5-14 days after any possible exposure.
Avoid the 3 C's: Crowded settings, close contacts and confined spaces. Keep you contacts limited and your social circles small.
Do the 3 W's: Wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands.

The primary ways you can “keep the lid on COVID-19” are through social distancing, frequent hand-washing, wearing a face mask when you're out in public and disinfecting high-touch surfaces. And if you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19 or are feeling even mildly ill with symptoms—contact your medical-care provider or public health center to get tested.

We can stop it! Stay home, for those who can't!

When to stay home

Those who can need to stay home because our health-care professionals and other workers providing essential services don't have that option. They’re working on the frontlines of this crisis, and they need all of us to stand together, six feet apart.

Social Distancing

Social distancing is the practice of voluntarily and deliberately reducing or eliminating close contact with other people in order to stop or slow the spread of a contagious illness—such as COVID-19. Social distancing can include:

Staying at least six feet away from other people
Not leaving home unless necessary
Working from home (including school work)
Cancelling gatherings—such as concerts, church meetings and sporting events
Adhering to guidelines regarding entering businesses, going to meetings or religious services, and generally being around people other than those in your household.

Isolation vs quarantine

What is the difference between quarantine and isolation?

COVID-19: Isolation vs Quarantine (CDC)

Quarantine

Quarantine differs from isolation in that quarantine is for people who are not sick but may have been, or want to prevent being, exposed to the COVID-19 virus. The Alaska Division of Public Health recommends that people self-quarantine (voluntarily) for at least 14 days to determine whether they will become ill or be contagious.

Isolation

Isolation refers to people who are infected with a contagious illness—such as COVID-19. Isolation means to stay away from those who are not infected until your symptoms pass and you are determined to be no longer ill or contagious. Isolation can be done at home or in a hospital setting.

Thank you all for your efforts, and stay healthy and well, Alaska!