When can a suspected/confirmed case of COVID-19 discontinue home isolation/quarantine?
The decision to discontinue home isolation/quarantine should be adapted to specific groups of patients based on factors such as symptom severity, healthcare systems´ capacity, laboratory diagnostic resources and local epidemic status. Patients with suspected or confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 can discontinue self-isolation/quarantine if all the following 4 conditions are met: a) resolution of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications) for at least 3 days; b) clinical improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. , cough, shortness of breath) for at least 3 days; c) at least 8 days have passed since the onset of symptoms for mild cases or at least 14 days for severe cases and immunocompromised patients; d) 2 negative RT-PCR tests from respiratory specimens taken 24 hours apart. If there is limited or no testing capacity, the combined symptom/test-based strategy should be reserved to hospitalized COVID-19 cases and healthcare workers, whereas for mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases (suspected or confirmed) the symptom-based strategy (condition a) AND b) AND c)) without lab testing is considered acceptable to end the self-isolation period.106