As new cases of the novel coronavirus sweep through Colorado communities and the rest of the country, many people are being ordered to quarantine or isolate themselves.

Here’s what you need to know about the difference between quarantine and isolation orders, who can give them, why they’re important, how long they last and more.

What is a quarantine order vs. an isolation order?

Both are essentially orders for a person to stay out of contact with other people in an attempt to curb the spread of an infectious disease, said Dr. Robert Belknap, an infectious disease doctor at Denver Health.

“Quarantine is when someone has been exposed to an illness that could be contagious, but they’re not yet under suspicion for actually having it,” Belknap said. “Isolation is when people are known or highly suspected of having an active disease with a contagious infection.”

Quarantines for the coronavirus typically last 14 days while isolations can last until a person is deemed no longer contagious.

Why are quarantine or isolation orders necessary?

Because they’re effective, Belknap said.

The coronavirus can be transmitted through contact or by droplets in the air, he said. If a person is sick or has the potential to be sick, eliminating that contact greatly reduces possible transmissions.

“The reason to quarantine is to say ‘OK, if we wait until people are showing symptoms to isolate them, then we may have missed an opportunity,’” Belknap said. “There may have been transmission in that time from when they got exposed and started having early symptoms.”

Who is allowed to issue a quarantine or isolation order and how are they enforced?

State statute allows officials from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and county health departments to issue quarantine or isolation orders.

In Denver, violations can cost people up to $999 or up to 300 days in jail.

Typically quarantines are more amicable, however. And not all of them are mandatory; they can also come about through mutual agreement.

“A fair bit of it does have to rely on individuals having a sense of civic responsibility that if they have been asked or ordered to remain quarantined or isolated that they take that seriously,” Belknap said. “There has to be a level of trust in the public health departments that are issuing that guidance.”

So far no additional enforcement action has been needed in Denver, department spokesperson Tammy Vigil said. As of Tuesday, 10 Denver residents were under quarantine.

To ensure enforcement, state officials track cases and possible violations and would work with the local police and courts, said Loa Esquilin-Garcia, emergency management spokesperson.

Where are people quarantined or isolated?

Typically people are confined to their homes, Belknap said. If additional medical attention is needed, especially if symptoms worsen, they can be moved to medical facilities like a hospital.

What do you do under quarantine?

Those stuck at home should do what they can to keep busy and positive, Belknap said.

“Try not to watch too much news,” he said. “And try to manage your mental health in that setting.”

How far can the quarantine or isolation orders reach?

While state and county health officials appear to be authorized only to order individuals quarantined or isolated, Gov. Jared Polis’ powers may be more far reaching. Colorado statute allows the governor to use executive orders during emergency epidemics to isolate or quarantine “persons or property.”

A large-scale quarantine was enacted this week in New York when the governor there ordered a one-mile radius area outside New York City cordoned off.

Are quarantine and isolation new concepts?

Not at all, said Belknap, who also serves as the medical director for the Denver Metro Tuberculosis Clinic. Dozens of people are quarantined or isolated in the metro area every year for tuberculosis, another highly infectious disease.

But still, the coronavirus presents new challenges for those systems that will only be worked out with time, he said.

“We have those things in place and we know how to manage them,” he said. “But it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that they’re scalable. If you have an illness, if it begins to spread, at what point can you quarantine or isolate an entire population? Italy is going to teach us a lot about how well it works.”

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