CDC Set to Make Major Adjustment to COVID Quarantine Guidelines

While it certainly feels as though we’ve been a part of this coronavirus nightmare for a number of years at this point, it’s important to remind ourselves that this is still a fairly novel virus, and our medical community is working to this day to come to grips with the ins-and-outs of the disease.

This was readily apparent in the early days of the virus, with the CDC and other experts waffling on the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus, and also seeming unsure of just how easily the virus could spread on surfaces, leading Americans to briefly find comfort in wiping down all of their groceries with sanitizer.

Now, after 7 months of living with this hellacious and horrid malady just floating around out there, the CDC is making a major adjustment to their suggestions regarding COVID quarantines. 

Federal health officials are likely to shorten their recommendation for how long people should quarantine to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus from the current 14 days to as few as seven.

Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations call for two weeks of isolation from the last contact with a person known to have COVID-19. However, Adm. Brett Giroir, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said Tuesday that health officials were rethinking that recommendation, citing “a preponderance of evidence that a shorter quarantine complemented by a test might be able to shorten that quarantine period.”

“We are actively working on that type of guidance right now, reviewing the evidence, but we want to make absolutely sure,” he said, adding that “these kind of recommendations aren’t willy-nilly.”

While no official indication has been given as to what the new guidelines could be, an anonymous insider revealed that the new suggested length would be in the vicinity of 7-10 days.