The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday cut the recommended isolation time for asymptomatic Americans infected with the coronavirus from 10 days to five, The Washington Post reports.
The decision was based on research showing that those first five days are when people are the most infectious, the CDC said. The agency also reduced the recommended quarantine time for people who are vaccinated but not boosted to five days after any coronavirus exposure. They also should wear masks for five days after their isolation is over. People who have received booster shots should wear masks for 10 days but don't need to isolate.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The Apprentice: will biopic change how voters see Donald Trump?Talking Point 'Brutal' film depicts presidential candidate raping first wife Ivana, but some critics believe portrayal is surprisingly sympathetic
-
Russia and Iran 'up the ante' after meeting in TurkmenistanThe Explainer Two nations talk up their closer ties but some in Tehran believe Putin 'still owes' them
-
'Kmart shelves emptied'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soonSpeed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
-
Mpox: how dangerous is new health emergency?Today's Big Question Spread of potentially deadly sub-variant more like early days of HIV than Covid, say scientists
-
What is POTS and why is it more common now?The explainer The condition affecting young women
-
Brexit, Matt Hancock and black swans: five takeaways from Covid inquiry reportThe Explainer UK was 'unprepared' for pandemic and government 'failed' citizens with flawed response, says damning report
-
Should masks be here to stay?Talking Points New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a mask ban. Here's why she wants one — and why it may not make sense.
-
Covid might be to blame for an uptick in rare cancersThe explainer The virus may be making us more susceptible to certain cancers
-
Long Covid and chronic pain: is it all in the mind?The Explainer 'Retraining the brain' could offer a solution for some long Covid sufferers
