Due to COVID-19 and staff shortages, healthcare services may be operating at reduced capacity in your community.
How you can support contact tracing
If you tested positive for COVID-19
- If you are positive, the contact tracing team will give you instructions to isolate.
- Let your friends and family know right away that you tested positive.
- This will help identify all people in your circle who may be at risk.
- If they are at risk, they have to take precautions to protect others around them.
Who could be at higher risk?
People you had close contact with during the infectious period, before you started isolating.
That includes:
- People you had contact with in the 48-hour period before your positive test.
- People you had contact with the time period of 48 hours before you developed symptoms, until you started to self-isolate.
These people should self-isolate until they can get tested.
How do I know someone is a close contact?
Make a list of everyone you spent time with in the time periods described above, especially:
- If you spent time together indoors
- If you spent time together in a car
- If you were together outside, less than 6 feet apart, without masks
How to list your contacts: Check your phone/texts/inbox and social media to help remember what you have been up to in the last few days.
- Who is living with you/staying in your house, even if they have left already?
- Who has visited you in your house for 15 minutes or more?
- Who did you go visit for 15 minutes or more?
- Who did you visit in hospital, Elder’s lodge, or at Espresso?
- Who have you been in a car with?
- Who did you share a meal with?
- Who did you party with?
If a child or youth tests positive or is a close contact:
- Did the child/youth attend school? Inform the school principal or other designated person at their school as soon as possible, and let them know the last day the child/youth was at school.
- In many cases other children/youth in their class will be able to continue to attend school.
- But they may need to take more precautions and be tested.
Did the child attend a daycare or after-school program?
- Inform the daycare or after-school program director as soon as possible, and let them know the last day the child attended.
- In many cases other children/youth at the care centre will be able to continue to attend.
- But they may need to take more precautions and be tested.
Did the child /youth play with or hang out with any other children/youth indoors (other than at school)?
- Let their parents/guardians know as soon as possible.
What do I tell my contacts?
Let them know that you tested positive for Covid-19.
Tell them they should assume they are positive and should isolate too.
If they start to have symptoms, they should get tested.
Have you been in contact with a positive case?
If you are a contact, assume you are positive too
- Isolate for 7 days, or until Public Health calls you to follow up on your case
- Isolate even if you don’t have any symptoms
- Monitor yourself for symptoms
- If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be required to isolate for a maximum of 14 days.
If you have symptoms
- If you start to feel sick while you’re isolating, assume you are positive. Inform your PSO.
- Call anyone you have had close contact with 48 hours prior to the onset of your symptoms.
If you don’t have symptoms (asymptomatic)
- Isolate for 7 days
- Wait at 3-5 days before calling to book a test
- Monitor your symptoms during that time
- If you develop symptoms, you don’t have to wait to call for a test
- If you are isolating and received a negative result from your 1st test, you still have to finish the 7-day isolation period.
To limit the risk of transmission, we recommend that everyone reduce their circle of contacts and follow precautionary measures.
- Wear a medical mask that covers your nose and mouth at work and in all indoor public places.
- Stay 6-feet (2-metres) away from others
- Wash your hands frequently
Why wear a medical mask
- The virus is transmitted through the air. This is why it’s important to wear a snug-fitting mask when you’re around other people, and indoors.
- Cloth masks do not provide enough protection against airborne transmission.
- The Cree Health Board recommends people wear medical (procedural) masks if they are available.
Updated
March 15, 2022
