The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Monday that the recommended isolation and quarantine time for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 has been shortened from 10 days to five days.
The CDC says the change is based on the fact that the “majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others.”
Today, @CDCgov released updates to shorten the recommended time for #COVID19 isolation and quarantine. People are maximally infectious 1-2 days before symptom onset & 2-3 days after. This science & protection provided by vaccination & boosters informed the updated recommendation. https://t.co/iU7btjjy4K
— Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) December 27, 2021
