CDC shortens isolation period for people with Covid

Americans with Covid or other respiratory infections do not need to isolate for five days before returning to work or school, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, a striking sign of changing attitudes toward the coronavirus.

People with respiratory illnesses can resume daily activities if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medications and if their symptoms improve, agency officials said.

Recognizing that people can be contagious even without symptoms, the CDC urged those ending isolation to limit close contact with others, wear well-fitting masks, improve indoor air quality and practice good hygiene, such as hand washing washing and covering coughs and sneezes.

The guidelines apply to Covid, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, among other respiratory conditions, which should make it easier for people to comply, Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC, told reporters on Friday.

“Our goal here is to continue to protect people at risk of serious illness, while also reassuring people that these recommendations are simple, clear, easy to understand and follow,” she said.

Dr. Cohen noted the sharp decline in Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths this winter compared to those in previous years, saying a large majority of hospitalizations were among Americans who had not received the latest vaccinations.

Vaccination also reduces the chance of long Covid-19, she added.

The CDC last changed its policy on isolation for people with Covid during the Omicron wave two years ago, when record infections brought the nation to a standstill. The isolation period was reduced from ten to five days.

The agency is unifying the recommendation for respiratory diseases because the symptoms are often difficult to distinguish from one another, the viruses spread in much the same way and they can be prevented with similar strategies, said Dr. Brendan Jackson, who leads the agency’s respiratory virus response desk. team.

Some outside experts welcomed the change. “I think that makes a lot of sense because people aren’t testing,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center and public health editor-at-large at KFF Health News.

“If you don’t know which virus you have, how are you supposed to follow the proper guidelines for Covid versus flu versus RSV versus the common cold virus?” she said.

Even as the agency considered the change, some experts expressed dismay that it could lead the public to think Covid was no longer a threat. They also worried that without the recommendation to isolate for five days, employers could pressure employees to return to work before they get better.

Little has been done to improve indoor air quality in most places, and wearing masks can be socially uncomfortable for many people, said Dr. Gounder.

“This once again places a huge burden on the individual to do the right thing in terms of public health,” she said. Making masks affordable and offering them in public spaces and workplaces would help people follow the new guidelines, she added.

Raynard Washington, public health director for Mecklenburg County, N.C., said it was important that officials continued to emphasize that Covid still poses serious risks for many people.

Still, “having streamlined, consolidated guidance for the respiratory viral portfolio will allow us to do public health work at the state and federal level, to send a very clear message to people,” he said.

The recommendations are intended for the general public and do not apply to healthcare facilities or nursing homes.

Dr. Washington urged Americans to always keep in mind that there may be people around them who are at high risk of coronavirus infection.

“It’s not like people have a sign that says, ‘I’m immunocompromised,’” he said.