COVID-19 Overview | Patient Management What is the difference between self-monitoring, quarantine, and isolation? Self-monitoring is for those that may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19. Self-monitoring means people should monitor themselves for fever by taking their temperatures twice a day and remain alert for cough or difficulty breathing. If they develop symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath) during the self-monitoring period, they should self-isolate, limit contact with others, and seek medical advice by telephone. Quarantine is for people who had close contact to a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 but are not experiencing symptoms. Contact your local health department or medical provider if you are unsure if you should self-quarantine. Isolation separates people who are sick from those who are well. People who have tested positive for COVID-19 in many states are in isolation. News & Knowledge All Curi recommendations are based on current CDC criteria at the time of publication. CDC guidance for SARS-CoV-2 infection may, or may not, be adopted by state and local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances. Providers should always check with their local health department to see if the CDC’s guidance on any given topic has been modified (particularly if more restrictive) from the CDC’s recommended guidelines. Follow this link https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/index.html for contact information to your state/local health department. If local recommendations vary from those of the CDC, and you are unsure what recommendations to follow, then it is safer to follow the more restrictive guidelines/recommendations.