Have symptoms or been exposed to COVID-19

Symptoms of COVID-19 may be different for each person and some people may have no symptoms at all. It's important that you do not ignore symptoms, even if they are mild. People can spread the virus before they start showing symptoms and can remain infectious for 10 days or longer after their symptoms started.

Look for symptoms that are new, getting worse, or different than usual for you. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, self-isolate and get tested immediately.

Common symptoms include:

• fever (37.8 C or higher) and chills
• cough or barking cough (croup)
• shortness of breath
• decrease or loss of sense of smell or taste
• muscle aches and joint pain (for adults)
• extreme tiredness (for adults)
• nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (for children and youth)

Less common symptoms may occur. Special attention should be paid if they happen in children, seniors, and people living with a developmental disability.

If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, you will be instructed to monitor for additional symptoms.  Please follow the instructions provided to you by public health.

For more information, the Ontario Ministry of Health provides an outline of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

In general, close contact means being within 2 metres of a person with COVID-19 for approximately 15 minutes or more of total exposure. This is regardless of whether either person was wearing a mask. A shorter interaction time may also put you at risk in certain circumstances.

If you’re a close contact, you will likely be notified by the person with COVID-19 with whom you came into contact. You may also receive a notification through the COVID Alert app. Public health will provide you with directions.

What to do if you’re a close contact

If you’re a close contact of someone with COVID-19, you must self-isolate for 10 days, even if your test result is negative unless you are fully vaccinated or previously positive. Children or those requiring support with daily living can isolate together with a caregiver.

If you are fully vaccinated or previously positive and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, you do not need to isolate after you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 unless otherwise directed by public health. You should:

• Wear a mask.
• Maintain physical distancing.
• Self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days when outside of the home after your last exposure to the person with COVID-19.
• Avoid visiting places where there are vulnerable people or a large number of unvaccinated people, such as long-term care homes, schools or child care. You can go to these places for essential reasons only, such as for work or if you are attending school or child care.
• Tell your employer that you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-isolate and get tested as soon as possible.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-isolate even if you’re fully vaccinated or previously positive. Book an appointment to get tested as soon as possible. Find out more about what to do if you have symptoms.

Follow these instructions to find out when you should get tested even if you are fully vaccinated.

• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, or your symptoms worsen, get tested as soon as possible, even if you were already tested. It’s recommended that you get tested at a community or hospital testing site listed by the Region of Peel or the Government of Ontario.
• If you don’t have symptoms and live with or have ongoing exposure to a person with COVID-19, get tested as soon as possible and on day 7 from your last exposure to the person with COVID-19.
• If you don’t have symptoms and had a 1-time exposure to someone with COVID-19, get tested on or after day 7 since your last exposure to the person with COVID-19.
• If you were tested earlier than 7 days from your last exposure to the person with COVID-19, repeat the test on or after day 7.

If you’re previously positive, only get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, or were directed to get tested by public health.

Close contacts that are not fully vaccinated or previously positive may have to self-isolate for more than 10 days in certain situations, such as if they were unable to self-isolate away from the person with COVID-19, if they were re-exposed to COVID-19 during this time, or, if they test positive for COVID-19.

Get details about how to self-isolate and resources available to help you.

Instructions for your household members

The people you live with should also stay home during your 10-day self-isolation period, except for essential reasons such as picking up groceries or prescriptions unless they are fully vaccinated or previously positive.

During this time:

• Household members should work from home if possible.
• Children who are not fully vaccinated or previously positive must stay home from school or child care for the duration of the close contact’s self-isolation period. These children must not gather with individuals outside their household who are not fully vaccinated or who are not previously positive. Learn more about what to do if you have a child attending school or going to child care.
• If anyone at home develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, everybody in the home that isn’t fully vaccinated or previously positive, must self-isolate. Do not go to child care, school or work. The person that has symptoms of COVID-19, must isolate and get tested even if they are fully vaccinated or previously positive.
• If you’re fully vaccinated or previously positive and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, the people you live with do not need to stay at home.

If the people you live with are fully vaccinated or previously positive and do not have any symptoms, they do not need to stay home.

Given the significant rise in exposures at large organized events and organized events, Peel Public Health is taking steps to protect attendees and support timely contact tracing at these events.

In accordance with the Health Protection and Promotion Act, if someone with COVID-19 has attended a large event where there is a risk of transmission to others:

• Peel Public Health will routinely publicly disclose information on large events attended by more than 100 people, if there are 2 or more cases that are related at the event.
• There may be other scenarios in which event information is disclosed, if there is a reasonable risk of transmission, even if fewer than 100 are in attendance
• When an event is disclosed publicly, instructions will be provided to attendees. The instructions may be different depending on the type of event and risk of exposure
• The person responsible for the facility or business where events are held is responsible to provide public health with a full list of attendees. This list will only be asked for if there are cases associated with this facility to do contract tracing in a timely fashion. This includes the names of all the people who attended, their address, phone number and email address. This list must be provided within 24 hours of the request.
• Event attendees may receive a text message from Peel Public Health to alert them that they have been exposed to COVID-19. If you receive a text message, follow the instructions provided to you, including directions for testing and/or self-isolation. Refer to more information on where to get tested in Peel.
• Visitors to the event from outside Peel can find a testing location close to home. Refer to more information on testing locations across Ontario.

People who visited the event venue or location at other times outside of the event are not at risk from this exposure.

If you're unsure if you should be tested for COVID-19, speak to a health care provider or take the online self-assessment to help you decide.

If you have symptoms but don't get tested

You must self-isolate for at least 10 days from the start of your symptoms and remain in self-isolation until:

• Your symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours.
• You have no fever (your temperature remains lower than 37.8 C without the use of medication).

You must do this even if you are fully vaccinated or previously positive.

You must not leave your home or go to work or school during this time. Your household contacts must self-isolate for at least 10 days from their last exposure to you unless they are fully vaccinated or previously positive. If they are fully vaccinated or previously positive, they do not need to isolate, unless otherwise directed by public health.

Get detailed instructions for close contacts, including when to get tested, how to properly self-isolate, next steps for your household members and what to do if they are fully vaccinated or previously positive.

If you were exposed to a person with COVID-19 but don't get tested

You must self-isolate for at least 10 days after your last exposure to a person with COVID-19 unless you are fully vaccinated or previously positive.

If you are fully vaccinated or previously positive and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, you do not need to isolate unless you are otherwise directed by public health.

Get detailed instructions for close contacts, including when to get tested, how to properly self-isolate, next steps for your household members and what to do if they are fully vaccinated or previously positive.

Find out what to do if you have a child attending school or going to child care.

Peel's requirement to self-isolate

In Peel, self-isolation is a requirement under the Class Order issued by the Medical Officer of Health under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Find out what the Class Order on self-isolation means for you.

If you travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days:

• You must stay in self-isolation for 14 days from the date you returned to Canada, even if you tested negative for COVID-19, unless you are fully vaccinated and meet the required criteria. Find out how to properly self-isolate.
• For more information, check the instructions for travellers.