Our governor was to meet Trump when he came to town this week, but first had to get a covid test per protocol, and he tested positive. Official statement.
I’m pretty bummed, as he’s been great during this whole time, very pro-science, pro-medicine, pro-precautions, pro-mask. I don’t want this to blow up into a “see if he can get it anyone can!” revolt.
He is asymptomatic, thank goodness. I hope he gets through it with relative ease.
He says he is going to self-quarantine for 14 days. What happens after 14 days? He’s magically cured?
He’s no longer considered infectious after 14 days and can go out in public again.
Is this sarcasm?
No. It’s fact. Even if symptoms don’t develop, people are being told to self-quarantine for 14 days, then they are no longer a risk to infect anybody. Asymptomatic people can still spread the virus.
I know that. I was asking about what happens after 14 days. If I test positive, then 14 days after the test, I can no longer infect people?
I think this is a good question. If I am sick in the hospital and hooked to ventilator do I become unable to transmit the disease after 14 days although I am still looking at death? I think the answer is yes but I’d like to know as well.
Yup, that’s true. After 14 days, whatever virus remains in the nasal passages is considered no longer capable of replicating, according to the CDC.
(If you've been exposed to the coronavirus - Harvard Health}
The time from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to be three to 14 days, though symptoms typically appear within four or five days after exposure.
We know that a person with COVID-19 may be contagious 48 to 72 hours before starting to experience symptoms. Emerging research suggests that people may actually be most likely to spread the virus to others during the 48 hours before they start to experience symptoms.
If true, this strengthens the case for face masks, physical distancing, and contact tracing, all of which can help reduce the risk that someone who is infected but not yet contagious may unknowingly infect others.
People are thought to be most contagious early in the course of their illness, when they are beginning to experience symptoms, especially if they are coughing and sneezing. But people with no symptoms can also spread the coronavirus to other people if they stand too close to them. In fact, people who are infected may be more likely to spread the illness if they are asymptomatic, or in the days before they develop symptoms, because they are less likely to be isolating or adopting behaviors designed to prevent spread.
Most people with coronavirus who have symptoms will no longer be contagious by 10 days after symptoms resolve. People who test positive for the virus but never develop symptoms over the following 10 days after testing are probably no longer contagious, but again there are documented exceptions. So some experts are still recommending 14 days of isolation.
One of the main problems with general rules regarding contagion and transmission of this coronavirus is the marked differences in how it behaves in different individuals. That’s why everyone needs to wear a mask and keep a physical distance of at least six feet.
Here is a more “scientific” way to determine if you are no longer contagious: have two nasal-throat tests or saliva tests 24 hours apart that are both negative for the virus.
I came down with coronavirus with minimal symptoms. I was still testing positive for it after a month, but I’ve been cleared from having to isolate and to continue being tested since I’ve had no symptoms for at least two weeks and have had no fever for longer than three consecutive days. People with the virus can continue to test positive for it for longer than three months, but it’s considered no longer able to replicate itself.
Thanks for that link.
So assuming that after 14 days, he has two tests 24 hours apart that are negative for the virus, would there be any point in him wearing a mask anymore?
Yes, he probably should.
What did you think was the point of quarantine?
I wasn’t aware that people were no longer contagious after 14 days. That was my question. Not why was he quarantined.
Have you not been following the pandemic? What kind of question is this, 8 months into it?
It looks like the latest recommendation is 14 days after possible exposure to the virus, but only 10 days after a positive test.
Not particularly. People are dying, wear a mask, wait for a vaccine. What more do I need to know? Just seems strange to me that, for instance, Herman Cain was dying in the hospital of Covid, but he wasn’t contagious.
I don’t think I ever looked to see how long a person is contagious after they contracted the disease. I’m surprised it’s only 14 days, that’s all. Sorry for not knowing as much about it as you 
Did you miss the “after symptoms resolve” part?
ETA: in response to manson1972. And that quote’s not from mikecurtis, it’s mikecurtis quoting health.harvard.edu.
He may have been contagious. And I guarantee you the hospital assumed he was, and acted accordingly.
The 14 days is a general term. Most people are probably not contagious after that time but some might be. so wear that mask.
14 days is for people who never developed any symptoms. If you develop symptoms, like Herman Cain did, it’s 10 days after symptoms resolve. In his case, it’s moot, but for other symptomatic cases, that’s the general rule of thumb.
The problem with the positive tests marker, as I understand, is they could be detecting viral RNA and not live virus.