# This didn't count as an exposure, did it? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [October 7, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408 "2020-10-07T11:56:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/1 "2020-10-07T11:56:08Z")
A friend spent more than 15 minutes less than 6 feet from somebody who had no symptoms or positive tests. Both were wearing masks. A full seven days later, that somebody developed symptoms, and days after that got tested and was positive for Covid-19. Now my friend is worried they’re supposed to isolate, though I think nobody told them to. They went for testing last night and await results. I’ve been reading up on the question. I don’t think this counts as an exposure because it was seven days between the contact and the emergence of symptoms, whereas protocols I’m finding online say it counts as exposure if that elapsed time is one or two days, or in some references three days. I haven’t found any protocols that say seven days. There are also protocols that say it doesn’t count if either party was wearing a mask, and in this case both were. But many protocols don’t address PPE. The question is not “could my friend have Covid”, because of course it’s pretty challenging to be certain. The question is, was my friend officially “exposed” for the purpose of decision trees that begin with “exposure”. What say the sages of the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/2 "2020-10-07T13:12:30Z")
“If either or both individuals were wearing face masks, it is not considered exposure.” From Here: > **[What counts as COVID-19 exposure?](https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-counts-as-coronavirus-covid-19-exposure--how-does-contact-tracing-identify-who-has-been-exposed-to-covid-19.h00-159383523.html)** > > What constitutes exposure to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19? And, how does contact tracing help identify people who've been exposed to COVID-19? Infectious disease expert Roy Chemaly, M.D., answers these questions and more. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/3 "2020-10-07T14:08:32Z")
So yes masked makes it not a close exposure, AND by time. Up to 2 days before the contact became symptomatic counts. 7 is way outside that. [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/4 "2020-10-07T14:41:56Z")
DSeid, that link actually says > the determination of close contact should be made irrespective of whether the person with COVID-19 or the contact was wearing a mask. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/5 "2020-10-07T16:30:20Z")
You are right. I had not followed the asterisk. My bad. Apparently the CDC guidance feels correct usage of masks should not be assumed by the general public … and given the numbers I see worn wrong that seems like a reasonable position. Time bit stands. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/6 "2020-10-08T12:17:48Z")
You know, the best thing we could have had in all this, the thing we didn’t get because leadership is a shitshow, was clear messaging. Everyone is under or over reacting all the time. We had a situation here where a teacher was exposed to a person with COVID. It was a mild exposure, outdoors, mostly masked (they were having drinks). She is isolating, but she sent her kid to school, and there were teachers saying shitty things to him about how he shouldn’t be there. There’s no guidance, anywhere, that says a person exposed to a person exposed must isolate: there’s certainly no way that in 72 hours, the teacher could have gone from exposed to infected to contagious, passed it to her son, and he develop an infectious case. But he got the “leper, unclean” treatment from people. Treating it like the flu is wrong. Treating it like a Taint is not better. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-didnt-count-as-an-exposure-did-it/922408/7 "2020-10-10T22:46:37Z")
Following up: friend just got a negative test result. Everybody agrees this means they’re in the clear, re this contact.