New CDC Quarantine Guidance Under Review By VA Health Officials

Falls Church VA

28 December, 2021

3:18 PM

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VIRGINIA — U.S. health officials on Monday cut quarantine restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days and shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine. State health officials are reviewing the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine whether to pass it along to residents in their states. In Virginia, health officials said they are studying the CDC's updated guidance. "VDH is reviewing the changes and will make updates after thoroughly considering the implications on our existing guidance and on the Commonwealth," the state health department said in a statement Tuesday. "Once we assess the impact, we will provide updated information." Under current guidance in Virginia, residents who test positive for COVID-19, even if they do not have symptoms, are to stay at home in a "sick room" for at least 10 days. People who have had close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus in Virginia also are advised to stay home for at least 10 days. If PCR or antigen testing is available, Virginia residents can get tested on or after day 5 of their most recent exposure. Virginians can leave home after day 7 if the PCR or antigen test performed on or after day five is negative. In other countries, ten days of quarantining for someone who tests positive for COVID-19 remains the guidance in Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. "Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others," the CDC said Monday. The CDC announced the relaxed quarantine guidelines on the same day that the U.S. reported more than half a million new COVID-19 cases, the most positive cases of any single day of the entire pandemic. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the change was an effort to "make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science." The recent surge in cases has spurred concerns about staffing shortages at hospitals, airlines and businesses across the country. Research has suggested omicron, while more infectious, causes milder illness. SEE ALSO: Omicron Cases Explode In Virginia, DC: See Latest CDC Data Last Tuesday, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, Ed Basitan, wrote a letter to Walensky, urging the CDC to reconsider its guidelines for 10 days of isolation in fully vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19. "Similar to healthcare, police, fire, and public transportation workforces, the Omicron surge may exacerbate shortages and created significant disruptions," the Delta CEO wrote in the Dec. 21 letter. "To address the potential impact of the current isolation policy safely, we proposed a 5-day isolation from symptom onset for those who experience a breakthrough infection." Less than a week later, the CDC announced its new quarantine guidelines that were in line with the request from Delta. The federal officials also said the change was motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the one to two days prior to the onset of symptoms and the two to three days after. "Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others," the CDC said. For people exposed to someone who tested positive to COVID-19, the CDC is recommending quarantine for five days followed by mask use for an additional five days for those who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second Pfizer or Moderna dose, or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and not yet boosted. If a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure, the CDC said. People who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure, the CDC said Monday. RELATED: DC Airport Delays: Nearly 50 Flights Grounded By Omicron COVID-19