What is the difference between quarantine and isolation?

Last reviewed October 2020

How do you reduce the spread of COVID-19?

In addition to taking the right precautions, you can use this easy breakdown to define the difference between quarantine and isolation:

Ways to reduce the spread of illness

Quarantine

Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others.

Isolation

Isolation is used to separate people infected with COVID-19 from people who are not infected.

Don't forget to follow the 3 Ws and avoid the 3 Cs

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What is the difference between quarantine and isolation?

Ways to reduce the spread of illness

Quarantine

Isolation

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