CDC relaxes COVID-19 guidelines on quarantines, social distancing

People are urged to social distance on a golf course.
(Image credit: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday dropped its recommendation that Americans quarantine if they come in close contact with a person who has COVID-19.

In another reversal, the CDC also said people no longer need to stay at least six feet away from others. Agency officials made these changes after estimating 95 percent of Americans 16 and older have some degree of immunity, whether it's from being infected or vaccinated.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.