ATLANTA -- The Center for Disease Control plans to issue new guidance in the coming weeks that would loosen the recommended isolation period for those who test positive for Covid-19. According to The Washington Post, the recommendation would no longer ask people to stay home from work or school for five days after testing positive for coronavirus.
Under the new guidance, those who test positive would be able to return to school or work 24 hours after they’re fever free without the use of medication and as symptoms are improving.
Discussions about changing the recommendations began last year as more people have developed a level of immunity thanks to vaccines or having previously been infected. The rise of medications available to treat Covid-19 has also impacted the decision. If approved, the guidance would not apply to hospitals and other health-care settings because of the more vulnerable populations that are around those facilities.
While no date has been announced for when the new guidance would be set in place, an internal memo sent last month listed April as a target. It is unknown if the CDC would still recommend for people who tested positive to wear a mask for 10 days as part of the new guidance.