UPDATED 1/5 7:14 a.m. ET: A CDC rep has told Complex via email that the update to the agency’s isolation and quarantine recommendations, particularly the shortening to a five-day period of isolation followed by five days of masking, was decided upon as part of a focus on when a person is considered to be most infectious. Furthermore, per the rep, the latest changes are aimed at facilitating both “individual and societal needs.”
For the latest info on the CDC’s quarantine and isolation guidance, click here. And for more, including a rundown of why the CDC decided to shorten recommendations for isolation and quarantine for the general population, click here.
UPDATED 1/4 5:50 p.m. ET: The CDC has updated its isolation guidance, per CNN’s Kaitlin Collins.
“They still don’t recommend a rapid test after 5 days, but say if you take one and it’s positive, isolated people should continue isolating for 5 more days,” she tweeted. “Those who leave isolation are urged not to fly on planes or eat in restaurants.”
See original story below.
A source said to be “familiar with the plan” is cited in a CNN report as stating that the health-focused agency is expected to share an update on its guidance, with the update in question possibly coming as soon as Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy appeared on New Day, where—as seen around the 4:40 mark in the clip below—he was asked about the criticism surrounding the CDC’s most recent update to its isolation and quarantine guidance.
“That guidance on shortening the isolation period was one that the CDC issued last week,” Dr. Murthy noted when asked about the shortening of the recommendation isolation period. “They have certainly received feedback and questions about the role of testing in shortening that quarantine period and they’re actually working right now on issuing a clarification on that. I would expect that any day now.”
Per Tuesday’s source-citing report, the extent of the impending CDC update wasn’t immediately clear, though the discourse surrounding last month’s recommended isolation tweak included criticism over the decision to not make testing a more central component. That criticism, on a lighter note, ultimately built into a running joke that dominated Twitter during the final days of 2021.
Complex has reached out a rep for the CDC for comment on the latest and will update this post accordingly.
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