Do close contacts of individuals who have been in close contact with someone infected with the novel coronavirus need to be quarantined?
Generally speaking, "COVID" refers to individuals infected with the novel coronavirus. Close contacts of close contacts (i.e., secondary close contacts) also need to undergo quarantine. Detailed analysis is as follows:

Secondary close contacts refer to individuals who have had close contact with primary close contacts without effective protective measures. This includes cohabitants, individuals who have dined or socialized together in enclosed environments, and those who have had close contact in the same setting. Secondary close contacts often have prolonged and close-range interactions with primary close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases without any protective measures, which increases the risk of mutual virus transmission. Therefore, centralized or居家 quarantine is recommended.
Additionally, to reduce the risk of virus transmission, policies may require secondary close contacts to undergo centralized or居家 quarantine and receive regular nucleic acid testing. In such cases, secondary close contacts are also required to be quarantined.
In daily life, during the pandemic, individuals should pay attention to personal protection, follow local prevention and control policies and guidelines, actively cooperate with health monitoring, and proactively undergo nucleic acid testing when necessary.