Just curious: Quarantine Activities

[Liziz]

Update: I realized I used incorrect terminology. I don't want to erase what I wrote originially, as it will make a lot of the subsequent posts confusing, but I'm adding this here. My intention was to ask about "isolation", not quarantine. I was asking about situations in which you yourself have been diagnosed with a positive COVID test or you're the parent of a child diagnosed with a positive COVID test (who therefore can't fully isolate from from). Thank you o_mom for pointing my mistake out....
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I have recently had several friends and neighbors quarantine for COVID, and I've been surprised to see how different families handle it. I'm curious how others interpret "quarantine". While you're quarantined, is it okay to....

*Go for a walk in your neighborhood
*Hang out in your own yard (i.e. - outside but on your own property)
*Do curbside pickup (not delivery, but where you drive to the store and have someone load your car)
*Go pick things up from child's school if they're sitting outside on a rack (i.e. - don't need to interact with another person)
*Participate in a birthday parade (windows were rolled down and birthday greetings shouted, but no contact between people in car and people in yard)

I'm curious about these b/c these are all examples of things where I've seen different people I know handle differently lately. In all cases, I'm talking about a situation where the person themselves or an immediate family member has been diagnosed with COVID, not cases where quarantine is happening for a potential exposure but no one is known to be positive or showing symptoms.

[carolinacool]

I would certainly think going out in your own yard would be OK.

As for picking things up: This came up on my FB mom's board. Lots of people live in areas where delivery services (food, groceries) aren't available, and people may not have friends or family who are close enough to run errands. Lots of people said they shouldn't leave the house, but no one seemed to have a solution that would allow folks to stay home.

I might go for a walk . I would skip the birthday parade.

[SnuggleBuggles]

It’d be best to stay home but I’m ok with those activities assuming they won’t be encountering others. If walks in the neighborhood make avoiding people unavoidable then nope. My neighborhood is one where I could walk and never see anyone and, if I did, I could easily cross the street and avoid them. The school pick up would have to be timed so no one was there. Grocery delivery would be much better but at our stores I’m in my seat and they load the trunk- we aren’t close and there is no other interaction. Masks still worn by both.
I think I’d skip the birthday thing but I imagine it’s not that risky assuming everyone is safely distanced. Again, masks would be best.


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[bisous]

My boss had to quarantine and he did sit in his yard but he went zero places, including hikes in the mountains around the corner from his house where he was likely to encounter nobody.

I do think grocery shopping or prescription pickups are where things can get dicey. We're fortunate that we could pay for instacart to pick up our Costco order but I think that might be something a lot of families might not be able to do. In that case, loading the groceries into the trunk is a lot safer than going to the store, which is exactly what my cousin did on the way home from the doctor where she was diagnosed! She was supposed to "isolate" due to COVID diagnosis but stopped "one last time" at the grocery store to stock up. She has very few resources (she should have called me!)

[jgenie]

For me the test is if my loved one was on the other end, would I be ok with it. For almost everything I would not be.

Assuming positive Covid test:

*Go for a walk in your neighborhood - if someone is at the end of their rope and just needs to get out for mental health fine but otherwise we would stay home

*Hang out in your own yard (i.e. - outside but on your own property) - perfectly fine

*Do curbside pickup (not delivery, but where you drive to the store and have someone load your car) - If I have nothing at home to eat, fine. If I just really feel like a certain kind of snack or want to cook a certain meal and don’t want to wait, we would not go.

*Go pick things up from child's school if they're sitting outside on a rack (i.e. - don't need to interact with another person) - as long as it’s a quick pick up and no one else is nearby I would do it if it’s necessary

*Participate in a birthday parade (windows were rolled down and birthday greetings shouted, but no contact between people in car and people in yard) - nope, we would skip this one

Picking up food to go because I don’t feel like cooking - nope, we would skip it

[smilequeen]

2 of my kids have been quarantined at different times (as in exposed but never positive).

*Go for a walk in your neighborhood...probably depends on the neighborhood and likelihood of running into people who'd want to stop and chat. We live in a very quiet neighborhood, so I did allow my kids to walk or ride bikes to get out of the house when quarantined. Would not allow this if they were positive, on the off chance someone came closer to them.
*Hang out in your own yard (i.e. - outside but on your own property)...absolutely fine. Would be OK if they were positive but feeling OK too. No one else is in our yard (of course, we have a 3 acre yard, so truly no one is around)
*Do curbside pickup (not delivery, but where you drive to the store and have someone load your car)...I probably would not. No contact delivery is easily available.
*Go pick things up from child's school if they're sitting outside on a rack (i.e. - don't need to interact with another person)...had to do this when my son was quarantined, but I was not quarantined. I probably wouldn't have sent him, but if the things are outside and there are no people around, no big deal.
*Participate in a birthday parade (windows were rolled down and birthday greetings shouted, but no contact between people in car and people in yard)...as long as the car was far from any people, I don't see the issue. If people are walking up to talk to you, totally different. But the only car parades we've had, the birthday child was on their porch and the cars were on the street, so nowhere near each other (say 20-50+ feet depending on the size of the yard).

[gymnbomb]

*Go for a walk in your neighborhood -- in my neighborhood this would be ok. We usually only see a couple of people on walks, and everyone is really good about one group or the other crossing the street to give a lot of space. However, I personally wouldn't do it if we'd actually tested positive, only if we were in quarantine for exposure but not positive and with no symptoms.
*Hang out in your own yard (i.e. - outside but on your own property) -- yes, no problem at all
*Do curbside pickup (not delivery, but where you drive to the store and have someone load your car) -- I see no problem with this as long as it's the kind where you stay in your car and someone loads it into your trunk with no contact.
*Go pick things up from child's school if they're sitting outside on a rack (i.e. - don't need to interact with another person) -- I wouldn't feel good about this one if a lot of people would be there in a short time frame. If they'd just left things out for a few families who were quarantined I guess it would be fine.
*Participate in a birthday parade (windows were rolled down and birthday greetings shouted, but no contact between people in car and people in yard) -- No. Maybe decorating the car and driving by with the windows rolled up and just waving? But not rolling down the windows and shouting.

[gatorsmom]

I don’t think any of those activities sound particularly risky, except for the grocery shopping. Ideally, I think, someone in quarantine should be away from other people, but I understand that’s not always easy.

[Tenasparkl]

Most of these things would probably be OK, but my interpretation of quarantine is to Stay Home. Of course being outside in your own yard is still staying home and would be fine. I'd hope that a delivery grocery order could be placed and that someone could do you a favor of dropping of whatever needed school item to a front porch safely. There's really no reason why anyone would have to attend a birthday parade.

[mikala]

Based on risk to others, I'd say:

*Go for a walk in your neighborhood--ok if you wear a mask, don't talk/interact with other people, keep significantly more than 6 feet away if at all possible. In some neighborhoods this would be easy, in others harder.
*Hang out in your own yard (i.e. - outside but on your own property) --totally fine, just stay far from people on the edges/don't have sidewalk chats
*Do curbside pickup (not delivery, but where you drive to the store and have someone load your car) --fine if it's directly into your trunk and you wear a mask and aren't near the employee. I'm thinking of the way Target does it where you say you're there with an app, then show them your phone code through your closed window.
*Go pick things up from child's school if they're sitting outside on a rack (i.e. - don't need to interact with another person) --I'd try to avoid if possible and would have a friend pick it up for porch delivery. If I had to go myself I'd call the school and see if they could set it outside away from the other stuff so I didn't have to breathe on/touch other people's things to find my own.
*Participate in a birthday parade (windows were rolled down and birthday greetings shouted, but no contact between people in car and people in yard) -- Would only do it windows up because people often seem to get closer than they should to the cars.

[mom2binsd]

Those all sound OK to me, the pick up as long as you wear a mask and aren't passing money or credit card to a drive thru employee.

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[wendibird22]

According to our state department of health, if you are covid positive yourself you are on isolation and cannot leave your house. So outside in the yard, fine, but the others would not be permissible. I live in a small county and when covid cases were relatively low, the dept of health would grocery shop or dog walk for you if you were in isolation (I'm assuming they had contract workers to do this).

[DualvansMommy]

It means you need to stay home. Not be outside among community for school pickups items, curbside pick up and birthday parades is a no.

Hanging outside on my deck/yard is only thing I would think is ok.

I’m lucky enough to live in an area where I have several different types of deliveries; instant cart, target delivery, Wegmans delivery, and DoorDash delivery. So I can see for rural or people with limited to zero delivery options need food; do w curbside. As long both are masked, stay in car, paid online/phone prior to keep exchanging of hands zero.

Ds2 had to switch to all virtual last min last week and kids needed to pick up supplies. It was left outside the school porch protected by the elements, labelled. In that scenario, desperate I time it so I’m not around anyone else to grab it. Ds1 needed to swap out his district issued laptop to a newer one last week and it meant he had to physically go in building. Wouldn’t be possible for us since he’s considered close contact, make arrangements where he can swap out device outside of building masked up.


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[Liziz]

Interesting to see the responses, thank you all! For each of these situations, I know someone who both thought it was okay, and a different person who thought it wasn't -- that's why I was curious what the general consensus was.

*I think walking in a neighborhood (with a mask) is okay as long as you're confident you can keep your distance -- I think having the mask on is key because it not keeps germs from spreading but provides a visual to others that gives them a clue to keep their distance. My neighborhood doesn't have much foot traffic and so it would be easy to avoid other people.

*Curbside Pickup - I thought this was definitely not allowed. Realistically, it's probably a small risk, especially if everyone is masked (but if they didn't have their masks on from the second they get in the car, and only put them on right before they pop the trunk, I still feel like the air in the car could have plenty of COVID particles floating in it....), but if my child or loved one was the grocery loader, I'd be upset to find out they'd been loading things into a car with COVID positive people sitting in it. In a sedan, the trunk is a separate space, so the "pop the trunk" seems very separate -- but in an SUV or a minivan it's all the same space/same air. In the case of a person I know, her young DC was the one who was COVID positive. The child was in the backseat for the grocery pickup. In a small SUV there's definitely not 6 feet between the back row and the trunk. In our area, we do have grocery delivery options, so it hadn't occurred to me that not everyone has those. I definitely can see that it may be the best/only option for some people if delivery isn't available.

*Picking up things from school - seems like if you can go at an off-time when no one is around, it's not that big a deal (our school has shelving units outside for digital learner pickup, so it's accessible without needing to interact with anyone)

*Birthday parade - I think it's only okay if windows stayed rolled up and it was just a drive-by with signs being held up. I doubt windows rolled down really adds much risk at all, but it just seems in bad taste/rude, particularly since someone choosing a birthday parade over a party these days is probably trying to be extra careful.

[gymnbomb]

I answered the grocery pickup question from the perspective of someone who typically drives a sedan. I viewed that as a basically risk free thing to do because I pick up at Walmart where I don’t need to roll the window down, I just pop the trunk and there is zero contact. But I agree I would feel very different about it if it were a sick person sitting in the back seat of an SUV or van where they would be very close to the person loading the groceries and Sharing air space! That feels like a completely different scenario than what I was picturing (and perhaps explains why a lot of people said no when I thought it was one of the safest things on the list).


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[mom2binsd]

My response was for someone, like I was, who had an exposure but wasn't positive/no symptoms. I had to go and get tested 4 x during my 14 day quarantine.

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[jgenie]

*Curbside Pickup - I thought this was definitely not allowed. Realistically, it's probably a small risk, especially if everyone is masked (but if they didn't have their masks on from the second they get in the car, and only put them on right before they pop the trunk, I still feel like the air in the car could have plenty of COVID particles floating in it....), but if my child or loved one was the grocery loader, I'd be upset to find out they'd been loading things into a car with COVID positive people sitting in it. In a sedan, the trunk is a separate space, so the "pop the trunk" seems very separate -- but in an SUV or a minivan it's all the same space/same air. In the case of a person I know, her young DC was the one who was COVID positive. The child was in the backseat for the grocery pickup. In a small SUV there's definitely not 6 feet between the back row and the trunk. In our area, we do have grocery delivery options, so it hadn't occurred to me that not everyone has those. I definitely can see that it may be the best/only option for some people if delivery isn't available.

I had a discussion with a family member about this same thing while they were quarantined. They wanted to go pick up dinner from a restaurant and thought since they weren’t going inside it would be fine. I asked them to think about how 5hey would feel if their loved one was putting a package inside a car for someone who was supposed to home. I urged then to reconsider because takeout is not a necessity.

[niccig]

I agree, it means do not leave your house. Sitting in your yard is ok as no risk, but the other scenarios are you still out in the community. Risk may be low, but there’s still risk involved.

I could see the curb side grocery pick up only if you had no other option. A couple times someone has posted a plea for help in my neighborhood and someone offers to pick up the groceries. I’ve done it for a neighbor I didn’t even know.


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[o_mom]

My response was for someone, like I was, who had an exposure but wasn't positive/no symptoms. I had to go and get tested 4 x during my 14 day quarantine.

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Yes, OP asked about quarantine, not isolation.

[mikala]

Yes, OP asked about quarantine, not isolation.

Yes, that was my interpretation too. I wouldn't leave my property on isolation for a positive case except for medical needs, but if one of us had Covid I can see the other parent needing to do a masked, totally no contact grocery pickup into the trunk or a drive through prescription pickup. I recognize that some areas have more robust home delivery services than others, and people have varying degrees of friends and family support systems to do porch drop offs.

[candaceb]

We have had no known exposures so have not had to quarantine, so this is all in theory. My kid hasn't been to school since March 13.
I think staying in your own yard is OK.
For those things that involve leaving the house, to me the main risk is if something goes wrong. You get in a car crash and you don't know you're positive but you are, and you expose the police, paramedics, etc. You go for a hike and sprain your ankle - same thing - exposing the urgent care employees.

[bisous]

I keep thinking about this and I actually appreciate being able to reason through these different scenarios. My sister lives in DC and had two friends who had to conduct business in Asia this Fall. One went to China and the other to South Korea. Both had similar experiences. After testing negative they flew to their destinations. Upon arriving, they were whisked away to a hotel where they had to stay locked in the room for two weeks. They didn't leave at all during that time. All of their food and needs were met by employees wearing major protective clothing. Once they did their two weeks, they were able to circulate about with very little restrictions. I don't know if this is the "right" way to do quarantine but it is very different than the scenarios presented here that included significantly more moving around.

[Liziz]

We have had no known exposures so have not had to quarantine, so this is all in theory. My kid hasn't been to school since March 13.
I think staying in your own yard is OK.
For those things that involve leaving the house, to me the main risk is if something goes wrong. You get in a car crash and you don't know you're positive but you are, and you expose the police, paramedics, etc. You go for a hike and sprain your ankle - same thing - exposing the urgent care employees.

This is such a great point -- I never considered the rare chance of something happening and things not going according to plan. That can even happen on a walk in the neighborhood, etc. Super unlikely, but this isn't a time we should add ANY extra risk.

To many of the other posters -- yes, I was specifically asking about KNOWN positive situations -- where the person doing the activities in positive, or is presumed positive (parent living with a COVID positive patient) -- not situations where you may have had incidental exposure and are staying isolated.

[o_mom]

To many of the other posters -- yes, I was specifically asking about KNOWN positive situations -- where the person doing the activities in positive, or is presumed positive (parent living with a COVID positive patient) -- not situations where you may have had incidental exposure and are staying isolated.

Much of the confusion is that you have your terms reversed - isolation is when you are known positive or symptomatic, quarantine is when you have been exposed, but are asymptomatic and have not tested positive.

[carolinacool]

Whether isolating or quarantining, I think some of the same issues exists, particularly with getting groceries/food/medicine.

[Liziz]

Much of the confusion is that you have your terms reversed - isolation is when you are known positive or symptomatic, quarantine is when you have been exposed, but are asymptomatic and have not tested positive.

Ooo - thank you. That is my mistake and I guess I didn't realize the terms were different. I'm going to see if I can edit to make it more clear.

[jgenie]

I think it comes down to a need vs a want. Many people see wants as needs and therefore justify doing what they want. That’s how we ended up with the run away train we’re on.

[carolinamama]

Technically, I would say someone Covid + should not leave their own yard. Of course that presents a slew of problems in the real world regarding groceries and any other essentials. Some areas don't have delivery options and many people aren't able to afford them anyway. And the directives aren't always clear.

While running out to pick up groceries, contact-free style sounds low risk, something unexpected could happen. DD and I were in a bad wreck in December that I would have never expected to happen. One minute she and I were talking about the mac and cheese she planned to eat for dinner and the next we were T-boned at high speed by a driver running a red light. We managed to climb out of the car (thank you huge cars) but in my disorientation, I forgot to grab masks. It was one of those wrecks that shut down the highway, tons of witnesses stopped, and we got multiple police, firetrucks, and EMS. Fortunately a friend was coincidentally behind me and had extras in her car. DD was taken to the ED by ambulance and I rode along. I talked to so many officers on the scene. Anyway, while rare, the unexpected can happen and could lead to exposing others.

[JustMe]

If I were in isolation, the only thing I think would be okay is being out in my own yard on my own property; this assumes I am a good distance away from others' backyards or anywhere where people might be. I would have food delivered with no contact delivery. Not taking neighborhood walks would be hard, but I agree that something could happen to me and I would suck it up and not do those until I was out of isolation. (I normally take daily neighborhood walks and do not need to come in close contact with anyone in my neighborhood).

It is frustrating how much people do in these situations, but in fairness, the messaging has been so unclear. My 2 teens and I have not been exposed and are not in any kind of imposed isolation, etc. Still, we pretty much stay home, I do neighborhood walks/ds does neighborhood runs, I do curbside pick up and if it feels really important to go to a store I go early morning weekday (I can adjust work from home schedule to do this). I will pick up things from my kids' schools as they require (thankfully they have moved to doing this outside). This is just for general pandemic reasons, not because of exposure, etc.

[o_mom]

Whether isolating or quarantining, I think some of the same issues exists, particularly with getting groceries/food/medicine.


Agreed. Much of the advice from PPs is predicated on having the availability of things like grocery delivery (or even curbside pickup), having the means to afford it, having friends/family available who have the time and means to do these things for you, etc.

For isolation, I think that leaving your property should be avoided if at all possible, so pretty much no to all those things other than being outside in your own yard. Again, recognizing that it may not always be possible depending on the individual situation, so picking a lower risk option when it can't be avoided (delivery vs. curbside vs. normal shopping).

For quarantine, the risk is lower, so the curbside stuff, I would be OK with, depending on the extent of exposure that led to the quarantine (say, just barely 15 min, 47 hrs before symptoms, and not sure if they were within 6 ft, but everyone wearing masks... vs. took a 2 hr car ride unmasked with a household member who tests positive 8 hrs later). I say this because we have had friends with multiple quarantine periods with these kind of wide-ranging situations. I also think that if we go nuclear on every single quarantine situation, then people will have used up their resources when they actually need to isolate.