COVID-19 is infecting younger Ridgefielders, according to Health Director Ed Briggs.
Briggs says that the last 10 positive tests were reported in patients ranging in age from less than one year to 86 years of age, with the majority in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
"This suggests that younger folks are getting out more and maybe getting a little careless with precautions such as social distancing and mask-wearing,” he says. A person is considered "infectious” from two days before the time symptoms appear and for a period of ten days, according to Briggs.
Anyone who has had unprotected contact with that patient during the ten-day infectious period must begin a self-quarantine that lasts for 14 days until after the last contact with the infected person, he says.
Assume John feels a bit sick on July 1 with a fever. He calls the family doctor on July 2 and is sent for a test that day. The test report comes back on July 5 with bad news -- John has CV-19. The infectious period would be from June 30 until July 8. If his girlfriend, Jill, visited him on July 4, she must self-quarantine for 14 days after her last visit with John (or until July 18). While this is typical infectious times have sometimes been longer.
“So, stay safe and follow the precautions and avoid folks who are not taking precautions,” says Briggs.