CDC stated that people who will test positive should isolate themselves for 5 days. If they don’t experience any further symptoms, they may also leave isolation. Also, they must continue to wear a mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others. According to a data released, the majority of covid-19 transmission “occurs early in the course of illness”. It usually happens in 1 or 2 days before we see any symptoms and 2 or 4 days after the symptoms. The U.S is expected to be highly affected by Covid-19 cases. This may be life threatening for workers and students especially, for the ones who are infected or exposed to the virus. The decision of cutting down the isolation period to 5 days will help everyone to recover soon and get back to their work.
CDC’s updated guidelines
The isolation period for health care workers has been shortened. CDC said that health care workers who have mild or moderate Covid-19 can get back to work after 7 days but with a negative antigen test. Also, if hospitals and clinics face shortage of health workers, this time period can further be reduced. For the people who are not yet vaccinated, or those who are eligible for vaccination but haven’t receive yet, 5-day quarantine is recommended. Also, they have to make sure that they wear a mask for 5 more days. If a 5-day quarantine is not possible, the person exposed should wear a well-fitting mask like N95 for 10 days after exposure. CDC said that people who are more than 6 months past their 2nd dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-NioNTech vaccines, or 2 months out from Johnson & Johnson vaccine, should quarantine themselves for 5 days. Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert, said that CDC’s guidelines on quarantine and isolation have always seemed to be confusing for the public. Now, the new recommendations have been made at that time when more and more people are testing positive for the 1st time and are looking for the guidance. Previously, CDC recommended the people who are still unvaccinated to quarantine themselves for 10 days. Agency also said that people who are already vaccinated can skip quarantine.
