CDC to Shorten COVID-19 Quarantine Period from Two Weeks to 10 Days

by Andrew Trunsky

The Centers for Disease Control is set to issue new guidelines shortening the advised quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19, according to multiple administration officials.

The new guidelines call for those exposed to the virus to quarantine for 10 days, down from the original 14-day recommendation. The officials added that people exposed can end their quarantine after one week if they test negative for the virus, according to Politico.

The updated guidelines were originally presented to the White House Coronavirus Task Force Tuesday afternoon, Politico reported. Though they were supposed to be officially announced Tuesday night, they have not yet been.

The new guidelines reflect new data which shows the virus’s incubation period to be approximately five days, the Associated Press reported.

The CDC plans to shorten its guidance for quarantining after COVID-19 exposure to 10 days, seven with a negative test, a senior administration official says. That’s down from the 14 days recommended since the onset of the pandemic. https://t.co/t4HgIeGb0M

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 1, 2020

It follows a previous change in July, when the CDC shortened the window that someone should remain in isolation after experiencing symptoms from two weeks to 10 days, assuming the person was no longer sick.

The CDC did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The news also comes as the U.S. prepares to begin widespread distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Candidates from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have all been at least 90% effective in their clinical trials, and the first two have applied for emergency use authorization from the FDA.

The coronavirus has infected over 13.7 million Americans and killed over 270,000, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

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Andrew Trusnky is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.