You cannot catch shingles from someone with shingles - but their blister fluid can give a non-immune person chickenpox until the rash scabs over.
Per the CDC, the virus spreads through direct contact with blister fluid or breathing particles from the blisters, and the window closes when the rash scabs in 7 to 10 days. Until then: cover the rash, wash hands, and keep distance from pregnant people, newborns, and the immunocompromised.
What to do
Common questions
Is shingles contagious?
The CDC's answer is precise: you cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles - shingles is your own old chickenpox virus reactivating, not a virus you catch. But the person with shingles can give someone else chickenpox if that person never had chickenpox or the vaccine: the virus spreads through direct contact with fluid from the shingles blisters, or by breathing in virus particles from them. The contagious window closes when the rash scabs over, which happens in 7 to 10 days. So the practical rules while blisters are active: keep the rash covered, wash hands after touching it, do not scratch, and steer clear of the people for whom chickenpox is dangerous - pregnant people who never had chickenpox, newborns, and anyone immunocompromised. Once the rash has fully scabbed, the risk passes. And the best long-term protection for everyone is boring: chickenpox vaccination for the non-immune, shingles vaccine for those 50 and up. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you sort out household exposure questions.