The Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) has issued a health advisory to all Fresno County medical providers, reminding them that employees should be able to come out of isolation and return to work without a negative Covid-19 test, provided they meet certain criteria.

According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, employees can return to work and patients can be cleared from their period of isolation if they have not had any fever for 24 hours without the use of medication. The symptom-based strategy also requires workers to be sure all other symptoms have improved and that they’ve had at least 10 days pass since they first showed symptoms.

Some individuals with an immunocompromised status, or those working around vulnerable patients, may be asked to stay home for as long as 20 days from their onset of symptoms as a precaution.

This strategy was developed at the CDC and approved by state and local health departments, and health officials feel that this transition away from test-based clearance will allow better use of testing resources and added convenience for patients and employers.

Patients are further encouraged to donate blood and plasma after recovery.