What should I do while I wait for my test results?

Take a look at the NY Health Department’s COVID-19 Testing Next Steps

• Quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19, unless you have been fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 5-7 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.

• Isolation is used to separate people infected with COVID-19 from those who are not infected.
  • People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. At home, anyone sick or infected should separate from others, stay in a specific “sick room” or area, and use a separate bathroom (if available).
  • To calculate your 10 full day isolation period, day 0 is your first day of symptoms. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed.
  • If you test positive for COVID-19 and never develop symptoms, day 0 is the day of your positive viral test (based on the date you were tested) and day 1 is the first full day after your positive test. If you develop symptoms after testing positive, your 10-day isolation period must start over. Day 0 is your first day of symptoms. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed.

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Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

(Updated 12/27/2021)