Baton Rouge, La. – December 14, 2020 – Mayor Broome’s HealthyBR Region 2 Medical Advisory Board issued an updated COVID-19 Exposure Recommendations Thursday. The list of recommendations and guidance was developed using updated guidelines from The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). 

“As we continue to navigate this coronavirus pandemic, it is important for our community to be equipped with the most up-to-date information from our local healthcare experts,” said Mayor Broome. “While the exposure recommendations have been modified, our residents should not let their guards down. The Region 2 Medical Advisory Board remains steadfast in their recommendation for a 14-day quarantine following a COVID-19 exposure. This is the best way to stop the spread in our community.” 

As of December 2020, the CDC has made the following updates:

• Quarantine may end after 10 days without getting a COVID-19 test, only if no symptoms have been reported with daily monitoring.
• When a person can have access to a COVID-19 test, they may end their quarantine after day 7 if the test is negative, and the person has no symptoms at any point during their daily monitoring during their quarantine period.

Detailed information regarding these updates are outlined in the document. The Region 2 Medical Advisory Board strongly recommends following the 10-day guideline, and adhering to the 14-day quarantine if possible. 

“As we head into the tenth month of dealing with COVID-19, and the holidays are just a couple of weeks away, please continue to do the things that we know will slow the spread of this virus. Wearing a mask and keeping physical distance between others, along with hand washing and staying home if sick, will reduce the community spread of COVID-19,” said Tatiana Patel, Infectious Disease Physician at The Baton Rouge Clinic. “I urge anyone that has been exposed to a known COVID-19 case to follow the recommendations regarding proper quarantine, which have been recently updated. We don’t want to overburden our hospitals and staff this winter; please help by doing your part.”

The recommendations from the Region 2 Medical Advisory Board outlines protocol for the 7-day, 10-day, and 14-day quarantine periods, as well as recommendations on preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Mayor Broome’s HealthyBR Region 2 Medical Advisory Board includes: The Baton Rouge Clinic, Baton Rouge General, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Healthy BR, Ochsner Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Woman’s Hospital.

The quarantine recommendations and the updated business community recommendations.