In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses such as the cold and flu, the province is now instructing individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms to stay home while sick, regardless of testing results. Once their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (if they have respiratory symptoms) or 48 hours (if they have gastro-intestinal symptoms), they can head out again, as long as they continue to wear a mask for 10 days from the time they got sick. They must also avoid non-essential visits to vulnerable individuals and highest-risk settings such as long-term care homes for 10 days.