CDC loosens most guidelines to prevent COVID-19 infections 8/11/22
New Guidelines from CDC, August 11, 2022
The CDC has announced 8/11/22 a major shift that emphasizes “living with the virus” rather than their previous strict “prevention of infection.” Officials acknowledged that most of the population has some form of protection either from the virus (or from prior infection) or from vaccination, and are unlikely to become seriously ill.
While the newest BA.5 subvariant of omicron is still causing a large number of infections, the severity of the illness is much lower, as well as the number of fatalities, and the medications to treat it, and vaccines to prevent it, are more easily available.
NOTE: When “quarantine” is mentioned below, it is in reference to those “exposed” to someone who got the virus, NOT to those who have tested positive for the virus.
1. standing six feet apart
People no longer have to stand six feet apart. But they should use their own decision, based on the circumstances and place.
2. What to do while quarantined
New guidelines say that people should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on the fifth day after exposure. The job is now yours, and not your boss or teacher, etc. to tell you what to do.
3. Quarantine:
Previous guidance had those who were unvaccinated and were a close contact of someone infected should quarantine for five days, even if they tested negative and had no symptoms. A vaccinated person could skip quarantine.
Under the new guidelines, there is no quarantine recommendation.
4. Asymptomatic people
CDC will also no longer recommend screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures, except in certain high-risk settings like nursing homes and prisons. This was being done mostly in settings like schools and day care settings.
5. Schools
In schools, the recommendation that kids avoid mingling with other classrooms (known as cohorting) was removed.
Also removed is the recommendation to “test-to-stay,” which was aimed at keeping children who were exposed to COVID-19 in the classroom as long as they had no symptoms and repeatedly tested negative.
6. Masks
In February 2022, the CDC dropped the requirement to wear masks. It is up to the individual to decide to wear a mask, if they were in a vulnerable spot, such as a large store, or a small poorly ventilated room.
The mask must cover your nose. The mask must cover your mouth. The mask must fit under your chin. Avoid frequent touching of the mask.
On April 18, 2022, the requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs was dropped, as a result of a court order; but people could still wear them, as a personal decision, and transportation businesses (eg, airports) could still require them.
If you test “positive” for COVID-19
Just a reminder:
Regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results.
If your results are positive, the CDC has specific guidelines for days 0 to 5, and for 6 to 10.
Stay home for at least 5 days, wear a high-quality mask, and isolate from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days.