Quarantine & Isolation

While both quarantine and isolation refer to methods of preventing the spread of illness, they do not mean the same thing. Quarantine refers to separating a person without symptoms of a contagious disease like COVID-19 from others while they self-monitor for the development of symptoms. Isolation means separating someone with a contagious disease like COVID-19 away from others.

The Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) has guidance on both quarantine and isolation. Cornell Health has provided detailed information about the process of quarantining and isolating for COVID-19 for students in the Ithaca area, as well as answers to the questions most often asked by students in quarantine/isolation.