Yes, everything keeps changing as Omicron takes over. Now typically three days for transmission, not five. Now the antigen tests we have come to rely on aren’t always fast enough to detect early disease. And, the CDC’s community transmission map is 99% red.
And so, we are revising our company policy on covid-19 safety, shown below.
In the office:
fresh air levels above 30 cfm/person (CO2 below 750 ppm)
HEPA air filtration above 60 cfm/person
humidification in winter—a new posting coming soon on this
masks for multiple people in the same room
Out of the office:
we all share the same approach of being active to avoid exposure
avoid going into buildings when possible (curbside pickup, etc.)
masks when in a building with people outside our family bubbles
we often check CO2 levels when going into buildings, and leave quickly if they are “in the red"
COVID-19 testing (without symptoms):
PCR testing 2-3 days prior to, and 4-5 days after any contact with outside people that might pose added risk
the company provides BinaxNOW antigen tests as needed by employees, but we now reserve these mostly for testing post-covid
Close contact exposure to covid-19 positive person (we have no symptoms):
isolate immediately
be sensitive to development of any symptoms (see current symptoms list below)
get a PCR test 48-72 hours post exposure or as soon as possible after that timeframe (unless you have symptoms, then test immediately)
if there are still no symptoms, return to work after five days of isolation, plus the negative PCR result
(contact day is Day 0, then Days 1-5 are isolation, then day 6 is return)
If we have any symptoms (for current symptoms list, see below):
we stay home, often doing work from home
get a PCR test for as soon as possible - or an antigen test after 24, 48, and 72 hours
consider isolating from family members until you get the PCR test results
Return to in-person work after having covid-19 or with positive PCR test when we have:
two negative antigen tests (24 hours apart) or one negative PCR test, AND
ten days after first symptoms (or positive PCR test), AND
24 hours after last transmissible symptoms (my nurse friend says: "I recommend staying home until 24 hours symptom-free, as there are severe strains of flu out there this season, in addition to covid-19”)
Transmissible = Fever, cough, sinus congestion, sore throat, chest congestion, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. (Loss of taste/smell, fatigue, brain fog or loss of appetite do not qualify as transmissible.) Headache may be a sign of impending or lingering transmissible symptoms, and should be regarded as such until 48 hours has passed without the headache. If there is not yet a negative test result, a lingering cough should be regarded as transmissible within 21 days of first symptoms. With negative test results, and ten days, and no other symptoms, then a lingering cough can be regarded as not transmissible.