Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.
The Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR DOH) has issued new Guidelines for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing for COVID-19 (Guidelines). These provide updates to previously issued quarantine and isolation guidelines. With COVID-19 positivity rates nearing 30% on the Island, employers are struggling to maintain their operations while complying with PR DOH guidelines on quarantine and isolation. The following is a summary of the latest requirements.
Definitions
We begin by recapping certain important definitions.
Close contact includes any person exposed to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, at a distance of less than 6 feet for at least 15 cumulative minutes in a 24-hour period.
Fully vaccinated is defined as follows, pursuant to applicable age groups:
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Adults age 50 and older or immunocompromised individuals |
Initial series of vaccination completed and, if eligible, second booster administered four months after the initial booster. |
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Adults age 18 and older |
Initial series of Pfizer or Moderna or single dose of Janssen vaccines, as well as a vaccine booster if eligible. |
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Teenagers age 12 through 17 |
Initial series of Pfizer vaccine, as well as a vaccine booster if eligible. |
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Children age 5 through 11 |
Initial series of Pfizer vaccine. |
With regards to the terms isolation and quarantine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an easy distinction between both: quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others; isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home. Thus, a person will need to quarantine when they suspect exposure to a transmittable disease, but once they confirm infection, isolation is required.
Isolation
According to the Guidelines, the following are the four potential scenarios for COVID-19 isolation in Puerto Rico:
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Fully vaccinated asymptomatic individuals |
Isolation for five days after taking the sample indicating in a positive antigen or molecular test result and continue to wear a mask until the 10th day after taking the sample indicating the positive result.1 |
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Fully vaccinated individuals with mild to moderate symptoms |
Isolation for seven days after the onset of symptoms. These individuals should continue to wear a mask until the 10th day after symptom onset. |
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Individuals who are not fully vaccinated or are unvaccinated |
Isolation for 10 days after onset of symptoms or receipt of a positive test result. |
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Individuals with severe symptoms, are immunocompromised, or during gestation period |
The individual’s healthcare providers will determine the duration of isolation. |
Quarantine
The Guidelines provide the following quarantine guidelines in Puerto Rico2:
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Fully vaccinated individuals |
Exempt from quarantine requirements. |
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Non-fully vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals |
Must quarantine for a period of five days. |
These guidelines establish the minimum compliance; employers are free to adapt more restrictive or conservative measures in the workplace. It is important to remember that employers continue to have an obligation to notify the PR DOH immediately if a case of COVID-19 is identified in the workplace to initiate the investigation of cases and contact tracing. Employers must notify the PR DOH via email at: covidpatronos@salud.pr.gov using the Agency’s form.
See Footnotes
1 Employees, regardless of vaccination status, have a continuous obligation to monitor their symptoms prior to their return to work.
2 Employees, however, need to comply with additional testing and symptom monitoring even after a negative test result after the established quarantine period is completed.
