On December 27, the CDC shifted the 10-day quarantine period to 5 days for COVID-19. This goes into effect if the patient is asymptomatic or has symptoms that are resolving, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting others.

Senior Greta Fear, who works at a local bakery said, “It’s a tough situation because I want to listen and abide by the CDC’s guidelines, however hearing Dr. Fauci himself say the change in quarantine length was because of businesses struggling with a sick workforce isn’t very comforting. You would think that any change made would be for public safety and not for the good of the economy, but we are not seeing that here. I feel pretty uncomfortable with it and I hope people who have the ability, can manage for the 10 day quarantine for the safety of everybody.”

This change is motivated by the science that has demonstrated that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 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.

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, “The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather.”