Covid and Quarantine Questions

[preppy]

DD2 came home from camp Thursday with a cough so I kept her home and had her tested Friday and unfortunately last night we got the results that she has covid. I already informed her camp and the friends we hung out with so that people she was exposed to could be tested. Her symptoms have improved every day and she’s acting fine so I am not totally panicked (right now).

We are taking ourselves and DD1 to get tested shortly and while DH and I are both vaccinated DD1 is not. Should we separate them the 10 days? I don’t even know how we would do that. They share a room but we could put one in the guest room but how do I entertain 2 kids separately for the rest of the quarantine? Has anyone done this successfully? For reference they are 4 and 5.

Any suggestions?

[af1212]

Yes I would separate them. Do you both work and are you in/out of the home? That will affect my answers.

[momof2]

My sense from other families that have dealt with this is that the parents divide up. One deals with sick kid and one with well kid. This assumes both parents are not sick. If one parent has covid, they get the sick kid. If not, pick the parent that is lowest risk or that can spend more time off work. They put them in separate rooms. The two sides of the family use FaceTime to communicate. Split the bathrooms of you can. And try to use the kitchen at different times. Mask up when in common parts of the house.

[Blue Moon]

Oh man, I’m sorry she’s positive but glad to hear she’s doing well. How have you been handling it since Thursday? If they’ve been together on Thursday, Friday and Saturday already I probably wouldn’t try to separate at this point. My two kids are basically glued together at all times so it would be a very arduous task to keep them separate at this age. I’m leaning toward not separating but I know I’d be torn in the same situation as well. I’m sorry you have to make this decision!

[pierogigirl]

I would mask (everyone) in the house.

[waverly]

From what I know those with young kids don’t really separate them from the rest of the family. It would be traumatic for them. Those with teenagers have been able to successfully.

If they’ve been together they might have already been exposed but masking might be the easier option.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 7:28:28 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Yes I would separate them. Do you both work and are you in/out of the home? That will affect my answers.

I am not working right now and DH works from home. He started a new job last week so can’t really take PTO to help out this week.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 8:33:30 GMT -5 Blue Moon said:

Oh man, I’m sorry she’s positive but glad to hear she’s doing well. How have you been handling it since Thursday? If they’ve been together on Thursday, Friday and Saturday already I probably wouldn’t try to separate at this point. My two kids are basically glued together at all times so it would be a very arduous task to keep them separate at this age. I’m leaning toward not separating but I know I’d be torn in the same situation as well. I’m sorry you have to make this decision!

We’ve had them together since Thursday, DH was traveling for work through yesterday and I was solo with them so I kept us all together just cause I didn’t have any other options. We are all getting tests now and I think I will start having everyone mask up at home and at least have them sleep in different rooms?

[sillygoosegirl]

My understanding is either you keep them separate for 10 days, or keep the well child home for 24 days instead of 14.

[af1212]

I would have them sleep separately, eat separately, wear masks in house, and spend as much time outside as possible.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 10:23:13 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

Actually, honestly, if it were my kids I’d just say fuck it. The well child has already been exposed for days; they’re sleeping in the same room. It’s probably wasted effort to keep them apart at this point. And the data strongly suggests Covid is not harmful to little kids. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I just emailed their daycare to let them know and asked what the protocol is for the well child if we separate vs don’t just to see what the rules are to make sure I properly follow them. If separating them and DD1 getting a negative test allows her to go back first it may be worth the effort?

[af1212]

Aug 8, 2021 10:23:13 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

Actually, honestly, if it were my kids I’d just say fuck it. The well child has already been exposed for days; they’re sleeping in the same room. It’s probably wasted effort to keep them apart at this point. And the data strongly suggests Covid is not harmful to little kids. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Curious would you follow the protocol of quarantining for 24 days?

[mrsGreeko]

Aug 8, 2021 11:14:50 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Aug 8, 2021 10:23:13 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

Actually, honestly, if it were my kids I’d just say fuck it. The well child has already been exposed for days; they’re sleeping in the same room. It’s probably wasted effort to keep them apart at this point. And the data strongly suggests Covid is not harmful to little kids. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Curious would you follow the protocol of quarantining for 24 days?

We decided not the quarantine our oldest away from the rest of the house in Jan/Feb because we assumed we’d already all been exposed. And we quarantined for 24 days and it totally sucked and no one else got covid and we tested every few days. My main motivation for getting my eligible kids vaccinated ASAP, quarantining for ever sucks.

[dcn]

She’s already been exposed for multiple days so I probably wouldn’t bother trying to keep them separate. I’d follow your daycare’s guidelines for testing and quarantine to return to daycare.

I’m sorry . I hope she does well and the rest of you stay healthy!

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 11:44:06 GMT -5 dcn said:

She’s already been exposed for multiple days so I probably wouldn’t bother trying to keep them separate. I’d follow your daycare’s guidelines for testing and quarantine to return to daycare.

I’m sorry . I hope she does well and the rest of you stay healthy!

This is where I am leaning. Once we get our test results I also want to call our dept of health cause there is a lot of conflicting info I am finding on the protocols for quarantining when you are vaccinated and I just want to make sure I follow the rules.

[preppy]

I also just ordered grocery delivery and a massive bottle of tequila to be delivered - I think we are going to need it!!

[konapoppy]

We just kept everyone together and quarantined for the duration. It was 20 something days total. I’m sorry your spend in your sabbatical like this 😭

[waverly]

If I have to quarantine for 24 days I would separate them. I’m surprised the CDC hasn’t lowered that number yet?

But anyway realistically I think all of this would be multiple conversations with the pedi. Because my kids do sports they would need a follow up sports clearance also and the pedi would be the one to clear them for school/ daycare.

[Velar Fricative]

You can try to keep them separated buuuuuut...when DD1 got covid in February, we tried to separate them but it was useless. At the time, they were 7 and 3.75 years old - DD2 still barely has any concept of social distancing, let alone with her older sister. We masked up and DD2 mostly refused because she wasn't at school so she didn't understand why we were wearing masks in the house.

I was okay with this because 1) we tried our best but keeping young siblings separated 24/7 is a really, really tall order, and 2) we know when and where DD2 was infected and it was 6 days before her positive test result (she was asymptomatic the entire time, she got tested due to a classroom exposure), so for 6 days we had no inkling whatsoever that she had it since we were otherwise hunkered down minus the kids' school. That's 6 days of zero separation.

The rest of us did not get infected (DH and I both had one dose by then), which was pretty shocking. If this is a Delta case, I'm not sure I'd expect to be so lucky honestly.

Good luck to you guys, hope your DD feels better quickly!

[Velar Fricative]

Aug 8, 2021 9:46:57 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

My understanding is either you keep them separate for 10 days, or keep the well child home for 24 days instead of 14.

Yup. Same went for me and DH re: 24 days since a 7-year-old can't really isolate from the rest of us completely. It was a loooooooooong month of February for us.

[af1212]

Aug 8, 2021 13:06:50 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

Aug 8, 2021 11:14:50 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Curious would you follow the protocol of quarantining for 24 days?

I follow all local guidelines on testing and quarantining.

Here at least, DD could go back to day care 5 days after her last known exposure with a negative test. So I’d test my sick kid until negative, then start my well kid’s 5 days, then test, and assuming that was negative I’d resume normal life. If my pediatrician gave us different instructions, I’d follow those instead.

I don’t know why believing data about Covid statistically not being a huge risk to children makes you think I’d blow off quarantine. It’s like we’re all supposed to be data driven unless we’re really anxious about something, and then we’re supposed to go to extraordinary measures. We make a million small decisions involving calculated risk every day.

ETA since I know where this is going- driving a car, drinking any alcohol (linked to cancer), smoking weed (inhaling carcinogens- cancer), having sex (protected or unprotected- all carry risks), eating smoked meats (again, carcinogens, cancer). The list can go on forever.

I’m trying to protect my DD who is 5 from Covid because of the small chance of long Covid, but I’m balancing that against other risks as well. I know that puts me in the minority here, but I’m comfortable with my decisions because again, they are data driven.

I didn’t make any assumptions about you blowing off quarantine. I’m not sure if that was directed at me or someone else but not sure where you got that.

I was curious if you would follow the protocol of quarantining for 24 days. From this thread as well as other things I have read there are different protocols for quarantining.

I would rather poke my eyes out than keep my family quarantined for 24 days. So for me personally I would rather keep them separate for the short term rather than quarantine for a longer time of that was the protocol I would follow.

[vamoose]

How do most working families take 3.5 weeks off of work to quarantine? I feel like a lot of families would not be able to pay rent or buy food if they did that.

I would keep them separated as much as I could for now and then decide how to proceed based off the quarantine requirements for daycare.

And ughhh. I am sorry you are dealing with this.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 14:48:27 GMT -5 vamoose said:

How do most working families take 3.5 weeks off of work to quarantine? I feel like a lot of families would not be able to pay rent or buy food if they did that.

I would keep them separated as much as I could for now and then decide how to proceed based off the quarantine requirements for daycare.

And ughhh. I am sorry you are dealing with this.

Agreed on how do most families do this!? We are very fortunate that not only do we both work from home but I am also out on a sabbatical this summer so I am not working right now and can take this on no matter the length, but not everyone is as lucky.

We Will see what the results are for the rest of the family and what daycare and the dept of health say and take it from there.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Is it 24 days b/c you assume the person with covid is contagious for 10 days and then you need to quarantine for 14 days after that to see if you test positive?

We (very thankfully) haven't had to worry about this yet but the thought of doing it with 4 kids at some point is terrifying.

[statgirl]

Latest CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

From this:
DD1 should isolate for 10 days since symptoms started (so 10 days from last Thursday). She can then be around others.

DD2 should quarantine for 14 days from last contact with DD1 (presumably from day 10 of DD1 isolation). With Health Department okay, can reduce to 10 days (no test) or 7 days (with negative test after day 5).

But…it says contact local health department for additional guidance so it is still the Wild Wild West.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 17:15:54 GMT -5 dcrunnergirl52 said:

Is it 24 days b/c you assume the person with covid is contagious for 10 days and then you need to quarantine for 14 days after that to see if you test positive?

We (very thankfully) haven't had to worry about this yet but the thought of doing it with 4 kids at some point is terrifying.

Based on my internet search, and not yet a discussion with the dept of health which is coming tomorrow so I can confirm my findings, it’s actually 10 days for her initial person + 5 days and a negative covid test for the well person in the same household. But again I will talk to the dept of health and their daycare to confirm and I am def not an expert.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 17:31:23 GMT -5 statgirl said:

Latest CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

From this:
DD1 should isolate for 10 days since symptoms started (so 10 days from last Thursday). She can then be around others.

DD2 should quarantine for 14 days from last contact with DD1 (presumably from day 10 of DD1 isolation). With Health Department okay, can reduce to 10 days (no test) or 7 days (with negative test after day 5).

But…it says contact local health department for additional guidance so it is still the Wild Wild West.

Yes this is what I am seeing for the 10 days + test for well person 5 days later? Planning a call in the AM to dept of health to confirm once I have DD1 test results back. Furiously refreshing the portal for results…

What is also very unclear online is the rules for myself and DH who are both fully vaxxed so I will check on that tomorrow too.

[statgirl]

Aug 8, 2021 17:35:08 GMT -5 preppy said:

Aug 8, 2021 17:31:23 GMT -5 statgirl said:

Latest CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

From this:
DD1 should isolate for 10 days since symptoms started (so 10 days from last Thursday). She can then be around others.

DD2 should quarantine for 14 days from last contact with DD1 (presumably from day 10 of DD1 isolation). With Health Department okay, can reduce to 10 days (no test) or 7 days (with negative test after day 5).

But…it says contact local health department for additional guidance so it is still the Wild Wild West.

Yes this is what I am seeing for the 10 days + test for well person 5 days later? Planning a call in the AM to dept of health to confirm once I have DD1 test results back. Furiously refreshing the portal for results…

What is also very unclear online is the rules for myself and DH who are both fully vaxxed so I will check on that tomorrow too.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

You should test five days after DD1 isolation ends but you don’t have to isolate unless you have symptoms.

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 17:38:52 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I’m also not sure a negative test following a positive means anything as you can remain positive for a long time after getting covid. I thought it was 10 days post pos test along with no fever and improving symptoms.

I believe this is correct for people who are symptomatic like DD2. Like no matter what she needs 10 days which is fully what we have planned

[preppy]

Aug 8, 2021 17:40:37 GMT -5 statgirl said:

Aug 8, 2021 17:35:08 GMT -5 preppy said:

Yes this is what I am seeing for the 10 days + test for well person 5 days later? Planning a call in the AM to dept of health to confirm once I have DD1 test results back. Furiously refreshing the portal for results…

What is also very unclear online is the rules for myself and DH who are both fully vaxxed so I will check on that tomorrow too.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

You should test five days after DD1 isolation ends but you don’t have to isolate unless you have symptoms.

Thank you!