FAQ: Positive tests: Isolation, quarantine, and re-testing
What happens after a positive test?
A positive PCR test has implications for both that individual and their close contacts. Here’s what happens in each case.
| I have no symptoms. | Isolate for at least 10 days after first positive test. |
| I have symptoms of COVID-19. | Isolate for at least 10 days after symptom onset and until fever free for at least 24 hours. |
| I am a close contact. | Quarantine for 14 days from last potential exposure; self-monitor daily for symptoms. |
September 3, 2020
If I don’t have symptoms, why won’t you do a second test to confirm that the first was not a “false positive?”
Public health authorities consider a positive PCR test to be a true positive, so a subsequent negative test would not change the requirement for isolation. This is consistent with the CDC’s current estimate that 40 percent of infected individuals are asymptomatic but still able to spread the virus.
September 3, 2020
How long will I have to isolate after a positive test?
At least 10 days. If you are:
- Asymptomatic: Isolate for 10 days after the first positive test.
- Symptomatic: Isolate for at least 10 days after symptom onset or until you have been fever free for at least 24 hours, whichever is longer.
- Severely ill: Isolate for at least 10 days and up to 20 days after symptom onset.
September 3, 2020
I’ve tested positive for COVID-19 infection; how soon do I need to be tested again?
As long as you remain symptom free, once you’ve tested positive for the virus, you do not need to be tested again for 90 days from symptom onset, if you became ill, or from the date of your positive test, if you remained asymptomatic.
However, if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 during that three-month period, and if clinicians cannot identify another cause for these symptoms, you may need to be re-tested at that time.
September 3, 2020
What is a “close contact?”
The CDC defines a “close contact” as “someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.”
September 3, 2020
I’ve tested negative after being in close contact with someone who tested positive; do I have to continue quarantining?
Yes, you must continue quarantining. A negative test does not shorten the duration of quarantine. According to guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, any close contact is “required to quarantine for the full 14 days, even following a negative test result.”
September 3, 2020
