CDC officially drops Covid 5-day isolation guidance

Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced today (Source: “COVID-19 no longer means five days in isolation, CDC says,” Associated Press, March 1).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving and it’s been a day since they’ve had a fever.

The change comes at a time when COVID-19 has dropped from being the nation’s third leading cause of death early in the pandemic to 10th last year.

Most people have some degree of immunity to the coronavirus from past vaccinations or from infections. And many people are not following the five-day isolation guidance anyway, some experts say.

“Our goal here is to continue to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendation are simple, clear, easy to understand, and can be followed,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC’s director.