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Canadians coming back to the country from travelling abroad are legally required to self-isolate for 14 days in an effort to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Public health experts are also urging people to practise physical distancing — even if they haven’t recently travelled or have no symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
But what happens after the 14-day self-isolation period is over?
Medical experts say you are able to go outside again if you are not showing any symptoms of the virus after the 14-day period is up, but you still must engage in best health practices, including physical distancing and handwashing.
“At that point, the quarantine is up but the physical distancing is still there,” said Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, a Mississauga, Ont.-based infectious disease and tropical medicine physician with Trillium Health Partners.
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This means people can leave their home for essential reasons, such as going to the pharmacy or grocery shopping, he said.
Why does self-isolation last 14 days?
Medical experts encourage people to self-isolate for 14 days because you can be contagious for up to two weeks after being exposed to COVID-19.
The incubation period of the virus –– the time between exposure to a virus and its first symptoms appearing –– is five to 10 days on average, Chakrabarti said.
“That 14-day [period] is given as it is easy to remember,
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