October 27, 2020
An update to close contact
Submitted by Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University has recently updated the definition of a close contact following an announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The revision now defines a close contact to include multiple brief exposures within a 24-hour period to any individual infected with coronavirus. The revised guidance considers individual exposures added together to equal 10 minutes and no longer requires a consecutive number of minutes.
The definition of close contact adopted by the university is consistent with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE continues to define close contact as being within 6 feet of an individual positive for COVID-19 for a total time of 10 minutes or more within a 24-hour period. This starts from 48 hours before illness onset — or, for asymptomatic patients, two days before positive specimen collection — until the time the patient is isolated.
You are a close contact if any of the following situations happened while you spent time with a person with COVID-19, even if they do not show symptoms:
- Shaking hands.
- Hugging.
- Kissing.
- Being sneezed or coughed on.
- Sharing a drinking glass, food, towel or another personal item.
If you think you are a close contact or are told you are a close contact, you should call Lafene Health Center at 785-532-6544 or call your health care provider to tell them about your close contact and ask for guidance regarding quarantine, isolation or testing.
Learn more about close contacts and your health and wellness around COVID-19.