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As of March 25, Albertans are legally required under public health order to self-isolate for:

  • 14 days if they recently returned from international travel or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19
  • 10 days if they have a COVID-19 symptom (cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, or sore throat) that is not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition

Mandatory self-isolation

Travellers and close contacts of confirmed cases

You are legally required to self-isolate for 14 days if you:

  • returned from travel outside of Canada after March 12, or
  • are a close contact of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 (provides care, lives with or has close physical contact, or comes into direct contact with infectious body fluids)

If you become sick during this time, you must self-isolate for an additional 10 days from the beginning of symptoms or until you are feeling well, whichever takes longer.

 

Albertans with symptoms

You are legally required to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days if you have a cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, or sore throat that is not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition. You must follow these requirements regardless of whether you have been tested for COVID-19.

Self-isolation period is for 10 days from the start of symptoms, or until symptoms resolve, whichever takes longer.

Albertans who test positive for COVID-19

You are legally required to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days if you have tested positive for COVID-19.

Self-isolation period is for 10 days from the start of symptoms, or until symptoms resolve, whichever takes longer.

If you have concerns about your health:

How to self-isolate

If you need to self-isolate, follow these steps:

  • Stay home – do not leave your home or attend work, school, social events or any other public gatherings.
  • Avoid close contact with other people, including household members but especially seniors and people with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
  • Don’t take public transportation like buses, taxis or ride-sharing, where possible.
  • Watch for symptoms in yourself or a family member.

If you are in mandatory self-isolation, don't have any symptoms and have not tested positive for COVID-19:

  • You may go outside for a walk or fresh air, provided you practice social distancing at all times and stay two metres away from other people.
  • Avoid public areas where you might touch handrails, handles or any other public surfaces.
  • If a child is in mandatory self-isolation, they should not go to a public playground or park or touch any surfaces other people may be using.

Getting food and supplies

  • Use delivery or pick-up services for errands like grocery shopping.
  • Ask friends or family to drop off food, medicine and other supplies.
  • Wear a surgical mask if you need to leave your home for urgent errands.

Don’t share household items

  • If you are self-isolating, don’t share household items like dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels and pillows.
  • After using these items, wash them thoroughly with soap and water, place in the dishwasher for cleaning, or wash in the washing machine.
  • Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and counters.

Wash your hands

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available and if your hands are not visibly dirty.
  • Don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover your coughs and sneezes

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
  • Throw used tissues in the garbage and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

How to prepare for self-isolation

Create a household action plan

Talk with the people who need to be included in your plan.

  • Meet with household members, other relatives, and friends to discuss what to do if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in your community and what the needs of each person will be.
  • Plan ways to care for those at greater risk of serious complications, such as ensuring you have sufficient medication, and determining what supplies are needed and if they can be delivered.
  • Talk with your neighbours about emergency planning.
  • Create a list of local organizations you can contact if you need access to information, health-care services, support or resources.
  • Create an emergency contact list.

Prepare for self-isolation

  • Choose a room in your home you can use to separate sick household members from healthy ones.
  • Choose a separate bathroom for sick individuals to use, if possible.
  • Plan to clean these rooms as needed when someone is sick.
  • Have 72 hours’ worth of food and supplies at home. We do not recommend stockpiling goods.

Why self-isolation is necessary

Self-isolation means avoiding situations where you could infect other people. It is a good way to help prevent the spread of infections like COVID-19.

When you are exposed to an illness, there is a time between the exposure and when you start to feel sick. This incubation period is usually 2 to 10 days for COVID-19, but can be up to 14 days. Not everyone who is exposed will get sick, but it is necessary to wait the full 2 weeks to be sure you are not infected.

There is a very small chance you can spread the germs before you feel sick, as many people have very mild symptoms at the start of their sickness. Staying home means that if you do start to feel sick, it won’t happen while you are in a public place, which lowers the chance the virus could spread to others.

Enforcement

On March 25, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health issued orders under the Public Health Act to legally require returning international travellers, close contact of confirmed cases, and people exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to self-isolate.

Law enforcement agencies have been granted full authority to enforce public health orders and issue fines:

  • Through amendments to the Public Health Act, community peace officers and police will be able to issue tickets to enforce COVID-19 public health orders.
  • Fines administered through tickets for violating an order have increased from up to $100 per day to a prescribed fine of $1,000 per occurrence.
  • Courts will also have increased powers to administer fines of up to $100,000 for a first offence and up to $500,000 for a subsequent offence for more serious violations.
  • These new fines will be in force over the coming days.

If you know someone who is not self-isolating when they are legally required to:

  • take proper precautions and distance yourself from the person to limit your risk of exposure if they have symptoms
  • remind the person that not following public health orders is against the law and puts people at risk