I received a Robo-Call stating my child has been identified as being exposed to a COVID positive individual….now what?
Answer the call
- Expect a call from the NYS contact tracers. It could show up on your caller ID as a blocked caller, NYS contact tracers, or the town in which they are calling you from. They will not leave a call-back number, so be sure to answer the call.
- The phone number may appear as NYS CONTACT TRACING” / (518) 387-9993 or “WASHINGTON CNTY” / (518) 746-2400 on your caller ID.
- If Washington County Public Health is seeing a large number of COVID-19 cases, NYS contact tracers may not be able to do timely contact tracing and case investigation for all reported cases of COVID-19. If you know you were a close contact with someone with COVID-19 stay home and monitor your health.
- Provide your email address. This is the only way Public Health will send your release of quarantine on the last day. The email release must be forwarded to your child’s school nurse. The email will come from Commcare, so please be sure to check your junk and spam folders if you don’t see it in your inbox. Text messages will not be accepted.
- Washington County Public Health cannot send us your release. It can only be sent to the individual and/or guardian. The release needs to be forwarded to the nurse in the school that the child attends.
- At the end of your quarantine, if you don’t receive the email, you can call Washington County Public Health 518-746-2400, press 0. All releases of quarantine come from them, the school does not issue the release.
- If you have questions regarding your quarantine dates or date of last exposure please contact the school nurse in which your child attends. Contact information for each school is located along the right-hand side of this webpage.
Stay home and away from others (“quarantine”)
- Avoid contact with others to avoid spreading COVID-19.
- Do not go to work or school. Do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares.
- If you live with someone with COVID-19, stay separate from sick members in the household as much as possible. Avoid sharing the same space within the home, including being in the same room. Use a different bedroom or bathroom if that is possible.
- Washington County Public Health can help you with making sure that your basic needs (for example, food and medication) are being met.
Continue to monitor your health
- It can take up to 14 days after an exposure for you to develop COVID-19. This is why NYSDOH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise people to stay home (quarantine) for at least 10 days after their last contact.
- Take your temperature with a thermometer two times a day (once in the morning, once at night) and watch for fever. Also, watch for other signs and symptoms of COVID -19.
- It is very important to continue monitoring for symptoms and follow all recommendations (e.g., wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds, and wash hands often) for the full 14 days after the last exposure. See the NYSDOH QUARANTINE FOR COMMUNITY PERSONS EXPOSED TO COVID-19 for more information.