US Shortens Isolation Period For People Who Acquire Coronavirus From 10 to 5 Days
Washington, Dec 28 : The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that it recommends shortening the isolation period for people infected with novel coronavirus from ten to five days on the condition that they do not show any symptoms related to the virus and can wear a mask after they finish isolation for an additional five days.
“CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from ten days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others,” the agency said in a statement on Monday. “[P]eople 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.”
The agency said it has also changed its recommendation regarding people who were either not vaccinated or have not yet received a third “booster” dose but were exposed to the virus. In this case, the CDC said it also advises to quarantine for five days and strictly use a mask for additional five days, the statement said.
As an alternative, those exposed can choose to wear a mask for ten days if a five-day quarantine is not feasible, the statement also said.
The new recommendations are in line with the latest scientific data on the COVID-19, which show that the majority of viral transmission takes place in the first 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and no later than 2-3 days after, the statement added.
