CDC announces new COVID guidelines for testing, quarantine. Here’s what to know in NC

Mary Ramsey
·3 min read
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As the pandemic continues, public health officials have once again revised the guidelines for folks exposed to COVID-19 or showing symptoms of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer recommending those who are unvaccinated or have not received booster shots to quarantine after any potential exposure to COVID-19. The CDC also pulled back on the need for social distancing, a hallmark of much of the pandemic for many, and other COVID-related protocols.

The news comes as COVID cases rise in many parts of the country, including in Mecklenburg County.

Here’s the latest on the CDC’s guidelines for COVID-19 testing, isolation and quarantine:

Updated CDC COVID isolation and quarantine guidelines

The CDC is no longer calling for folks who are unvaccinated or not boosted against COVID-19 to quarantine when potentially exposed to the virus. Instead, the agency is saying in its latest statement folks in that situation should “wear a high-quality mask for 10 days” after the exposure “and get tested on day 5.”

That new guidance mimics the CDC’s previous guidelines for folks who are fully vaccinated and potentially exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

The CDC still recommends that anyone who has COVID or thinks they may have COVID isolate. Those who suspect they have the virus but test negative can leave isolation, the agency added in its latest guidance.

If you test positive, you need to “stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home,” the CDC advises, and “wear a high-quality mask when you must be around others at home and in public.”

A high-quality mask is considered either a K-N95 or N95 style face covering.

“If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5,” the CDC says. “Regardless of when you end isolation, avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 until at least day 11.”

If you start to feel worse after leaving isolation, “restart your isolation at day 0,” the agency adds.

Updated CDC COVID testing guidelines

The CDC said in its newest guidelines it’s no longer “recommending screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures in most community settings.”

The agency also said it no longer recommends schools use a “Test to Stay” system, a practice of COVID testing and contact tracing in schools, citing its updated quarantine guidelines.

“Since quarantine is no longer recommended for people who are exposed to COVID-19 except in certain high-risk congregate settings, Test to Stay is no longer needed,” the CDC said.

Other changes to CDC COVID guidelines

The CDC’s latest statement also pulls back on the need to “social distance,” or keep 6 feet away from others, as a means of helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The practice has been a point of emphasis in public health guidance throughout the pandemic.

“Physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others,” the guidance reads. “It is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to maintain physical distance.”