All positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. Each person who tests positive is called a "case". One of CUPHD's Investigators reaches out to each case by phone for a detailed interview.
Cases are put into isolation. People who are in isolation are required to stay home until it's safe for them to be around others and Public Health has released them from isolation. They should not leave their home for any reason except to seek emergency medical care. Cases must be isolated for a minimum of 10 days after symptom onset (or test date if asymptomatic) and be fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medications) and with improvement of COVID-19 symptoms. Once a person completes isolation, they are considered to be no longer infectious.
Public Health discusses the medical situation with the individual, provides information about how to safely isolate at home, and links them to care if needed. Confirmed cases and close contacts are offered wrap around services (groceries, masks, thermometers, Rx pick up, etc) so they can successfully remain in isolation and prevent transmission to others.
The interview also focuses on working with the case to determine anyone else who may have been exposed by the case during their infectious period. These people are called "close contacts" and will be placed in quarantine. The people at highest risk are household members, intimate partners, co-workers, residents, and participants in high-risk settings such as schools, day cares, and long-term care facilities. For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the case is isolated.
More information about living with a confirmed case of COVID-19 here.
CUPHD requires positive cases to remain isolated for a minimum of 10 days after symptom onset (or 10 days for test date if you are not experiencing symptoms). Cases can be released from isolation when the following criteria are met:
*A limited number of persons with severe illness or who are severely immunosuppressed may produce replication-competent virus beyond 10 days; this may warrant extending duration of isolation and precautions for up to 20 days after symptom onset or first positive test (if no symptoms). Consult with the infectious disease physician.
Based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CUPHD will implement a 10-day quarantine for persons identified as close contacts to someone with COVID-19. Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if a person does not have symptoms.
For persons that choose this option, CUPHD recommends testing on day 10 and self-monitoring of symptoms through day 14. If symptoms develop at any time, individuals should go for testing immediately. Testing is available for everyone at Marketplace Mall, more info here.
People can also be released from quarantine if they are asymptomatic and have a negative test collected on day 7 or later in their quarantine.
In order to be released from quarantine and receive a release letter from Public Health, the individual must send an email to coronavirus@c-uphd.org with the following information:
*Please note that requests with incomplete information will not be processed. CUPHD will not look up proof of negative tests for people, you must provide the proof of negative test to us or complete the full 10 day quarantine.
Our contact tracing team will process these release requests and follow-up with any questions that we have. You will receive a release letter to the email that you provided within 48 hours of your request.
Information about other resources such as rental assistance, utility assistance, public benefits and mental health available here.
Information for UIUC Staff & Students