The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its recommendations for isolation and quarantine measures against COVID-19.
Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf says the new guidelines have reduced the amount of days that someone needs to be isolated from others if they test positive for the virus, regardless of their vaccination status. The new recommendations call for someone to be isolated for five days from others and then if there are no symptoms or the symptoms are resolving after those five days, that individual should continue to wear a mask around others for an additional five days. Wolf talks about why the CDC has decided to push forward now with these new guidelines.
“Studies have demonstrated that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of the illness. And that’s generally 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and then 2-3 days after. So that’s really like a five day period when you are the most contagious.”
Wolf says another part of the new guidelines is when you should continue to wear a well-fitting mask.
“We need to wear a well-fitting mask. Not something that just covers your nose, not something that slips over your mouth or is really loose around your face. But the idea is we’re trying to keep that infection within you, so you don’t spread it to other people, and we want to create a filter as much as we can.”
Click the link below for additional information regarding the new CDC guidelines for those who are exposed to someone that tests positive for the virus and the isolation recommendations for those situations.