If You Do A Home Test For COVID-19 And Test Positive You Need To Notify Officials

When the COVID-19 outbreak began we all had to rely on testing clinics run by the city and county but now there are tests for sale and you can test for the coronarvirus right in your own home. The question is what do you do once you have the results? Hopefully you'll get a negative result and be ok, but if you get a positive result, there area few things you need to do not only to keep yourself and the El Paso community safe.

First things first - if you need to take an at-home COVID-19 test there must be a reason. If you have symptoms you should probably notify people around you that you think you might have been exposed to COVID so they can decide if they need to get tested. After you take your test and it comes back positive for COVID-19, you need to notify everyone you've been in contact with that they have been exposed. Next up, you need to notify authorities.

Officials with the City and County need to know that you are positive for COVID-19 because they need to keep statistics on the spread of the virus and they need to report those numbers to state and federal officials. You need to click here to self-report your positive test result. You'll also need to attach a copy of your positive test result. You can also email your full name, date of birth, address and phone number to EpiReporting@elpasotexas.gov to self-report.

Lastly, you need to notify your place of work and especially your child's school. They will need to do their own contact tracing to let everyone know that they have been exposed. You will also need to quarantine at home for 10 days. All of this sounds like a hassle but if we don't follow the steps we'll never get out from under this illness. Please help and do the right thing for yourself and the community.