Ohio Shortens Coronavirus Quarantine Regulations

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio is shortening how long residents must quarantine after being exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, said the new quarantine regulations align the state with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards.

Ohioans can now quarantine for 10 days after being exposed, instead of 14 days. Ohioans would not need to get a COVID-19 test if they stay inside their home for 10 days and do not develop symptoms.

If Ohioans get a COVID-19 test and test negative, they can quarantine for only seven days.

Vanderhoff said the safest quarantine method is to remain within your home for 14 days, but he said many Ohioans may not be able to follow those protocols. He described the two week period as "burdensome to many."

"We understand quarantine can be difficult. It can be difficult financially, socially and for mental health reasons," he said. But quarantining is still one of the safest methods for stymieing the spread of COVID-19.

Vanderhoff said he hopes lowering the bar for quarantine times should increase compliance.