On March 26, 2003, Ontario public health officers ordered thousands of people quarantined to their homes in an effort to track the disease and prevent it from spreading.

The home isolation order applies to infectious people, anyone who has visited Scarborough Grace Hospital or York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill without a protective mask in the last 10 days, and anyone who has come into close contact with SARS victims.

Here is what health officials say to do if you have been quarantined to your home:

• Ensure that you remain at home for 10 days after your last exposure. This means that you should not leave your house, nor should anyone visit you at home.
  
  
• During this 10-day period, wear a mask when you are in the same room with another member of your household. You should change your mask twice each day. The type of mask to purchase is an N95 mask. It is designed to prevent respiratory exposure to TB and other high-risk biological agents.
  
  
• Sleep in separate rooms if possible.
  
  
• Do not share personal items, such as towels, drinking cups or cutlery.
  
  
• Wash your hands frequently, especially after sneezing or coughing.
  
  
• Everyone in the household should measure their temperature with their own thermometer twice a day over the 10-day period.
  
  
• If anyone in the household develops fever (over 38 C), respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing) or headache, or is feeling unwell, call Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600.
  
  

People who share a household with someone in quarantine may go to work or school, but must wear a mask at home. Should anyone in the household show signs of becoming ill, the entire household must be quarantined.

LittmanŽ Health Care N95 Particulate Respirator & Surgical Mask:

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