What to do if you have symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or come into contact with a positive person?

Isolation is no longer required for those who are symptomatic and have been awaiting test results or have tested positive for COVID-19 since the 1st^er February 2023. However, to protect yourself and your loved ones, it is important to do the right thing. Health insurance and Service-Public.fr remind you of the usual recommendations.

People with symptoms suggestive of Covid

As soon as symptoms appear (fever or feeling of fever, cough, headache, sore throat, muscle aches, unusual tiredness, diarrhea...), you should:

• respect barrier gestures (wearing a mask, physical distancing, hand hygiene...);
• avoid contact with frail persons;
• notify your surroundings (people living under the same roof, friends, colleagues...);
• Have an antigen test or RT-PCR done without a prescription;
• telework where possible.

People who test positive 

If you are positive for COVID-19, you are no longer required to self-isolate but you must:

• Respect barrier gestures : wearing a mask, physical distancing, hand hygiene;
• Avoiding contact with the frail ;
• Notify your surroundings : it remains important to notify others (family, friends, colleagues) and people you see within 48 hours before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms (or within 7 days before testing if no symptoms are present);
• Contact your doctor and monitor your health: as soon as you know the positive result of the test, you should consult your doctor, in person or by teleconsultation. They will monitor you throughout your illness and may prescribe a work stoppage if your health condition does not allow you to work. Indeed, from 1^er February 2023, the derogatory compensation scheme for work stoppages is abolished, you can no longer request a Covid work stoppage without a waiting day on the declare.ameli.fr online service. Only your doctor can tell you to stop working.
• encourage teleworking.

Recovery usually occurs within a few days with rest. To monitor your health, you are advised to take your temperature twice a day.

Do not hesitate to contact your treating doctor in case of worsening symptoms or unusual symptoms. If you have difficulty breathing, call 15 or 114 immediately for the deaf or hard of hearing.

Contact Case Persons

If you have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and in the absence of suggestive symptoms, you no longer have to do a test 2 days after being informed by the infected person.

From 1^er In February 2023, Health Insurance no longer contacts people who have tested positive for Covid-19 or their contact cases as part of “contact tracing”.

However, it is recommended that you:

• respecting barrier gestures: wearing a mask, physical distancing, hand hygiene;
• avoid contact with frail persons;
• do a screening test (antigen, RT-PCR).

If your test is negative, it is recommended to monitor for symptoms and to carry out an antigen test or RT-PCR immediately in case of symptoms.

COVID-19 Gestures and Barriers

To protect yourself and others in case of symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test, there are simple steps to take:

• regularly washing hands or using an aqueous-alcoholic solution;
• coughing or sneezing into his elbow or a disposable tissue;
• blow your nose in a disposable tissue and then throw it away;
• avoid touching the face;
• maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from others;
• wave without shaking hands and avoid kissing;
• Wear a maximum protective mask (e.g., a category 1 surgical mask or an FFP2 mask);
• keep contacts with others to a minimum;
• ventilate each room as often as possible, at least 10 minutes every hour.