A sign reminds motorists of the Los Angeles County stay-at-home regulation in place for the next three weeks on December 1, 2020. - A county-wide coronavirus regulations went into effect again on November 30 for three weeks amid ever increasing numbers of positive Covid-19 cases and fears of overwhelmed hospitals. Aid for restaurants will begin on December 3, with the start of the Keep Los Angeles County Dining Grant Program , allowing eligible restaurants which have lost business due to countywide coronavirus health regulations to apply for and receive up to $30,000 in aid. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
CDC shortens its COVID-19 quarantine recommendations
By Colin Dwyer/NPR
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
A sign reminds motorists of the Los Angeles County stay-at-home regulation in place for the next three weeks on December 1, 2020. - A county-wide coronavirus regulations went into effect again on November 30 for three weeks amid ever increasing numbers of positive Covid-19 cases and fears of overwhelmed hospitals. Aid for restaurants will begin on December 3, with the start of the Keep Los Angeles County Dining Grant Program , allowing eligible restaurants which have lost business due to countywide coronavirus health regulations to apply for and receive up to $30,000 in aid. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
(Washington) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidelines for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Now, instead of the standard 14-day quarantine it has been recommending, the CDC says that potential exposure warrants a quarantine of 10 or seven days, depending on one’s test results and symptoms.
If an individual does not develop symptoms, they need only quarantine for 10 days; if they test negative, that period can be reduced to just one week.
The revision marks a significant change from the CDC’s recommendations since the start of the pandemic earlier this year. While the agency says a 14-day quarantine remains the safest option, it acknowledged that this length placed difficult demands on people, including economic hardship.
During a telephone briefing with reporters Wednesday, Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s incident manager, said that people should still watch closely for symptoms — such as fever, a cough or a loss of taste or smell — for a full 14 days after exposure.
For the upcoming holiday season, the CDC is recommending people stay home — just as it did before the Thanksgiving holiday.
But if people do travel, the guidelines are that individuals should get a coronavirus test 1 to 3 days before travel and then 3 to 5 days after travel, combined with quarantine for seven days after arriving.
