The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week relaxed many of their Covid-19 guidelines, deviating greatly from several precautions, including quarantines and social distancing, that have long defined the pandemic.
The move was prompted by the fact that many Americans now have some immunity to the coronavirus — through a combination of vaccination and previous infection — and the availability of vaccines, booster shots and antiviral drugs that can reduce the risk of serious illness.
Part of the public health agency’s goal in releasing the new guidelines was to streamline recommendations and help people manage their deductibles, officials said. But the guidelines are still complex and contain many nuances.
Here you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about what the guidelines mean for you.
Do I still have to keep a meter and a half away from strangers?
The CDC hasn’t completely abandoned the idea of social distancing — instead, the agency proposes distancing from others as one of many strategies people can use to reduce their risk.
The old guidelines recommended that people who were unaware of their vaccinations “keep at least six feet away from other people” in indoor public areas.
Now the agency recommends that people “may want to avoid crowded areas” or keep their distance from others to minimize their exposure to the virus. This precaution may be especially important for people at high risk for severe Covid-19, the agency noted.
Do I still have to wear a face mask?
The general mask guidelines have not changed. The CDC still recommends that everyone ages 2 and older wear a well-fitting mask in indoor public areas when the local Covid-19 community level is high. People at high risk for serious illness are also required to wear a mask when their intercourse is at an average level, according to the guidelines.
Nearly 40 percent of counties in the United States are at a high community level, according to the CDC
What should I do if I have been exposed to the virus?
As a precautionary measure, the CDC advised people who were unaware of their vaccinations and who had been in close contact with someone with Covid-19 staying at home for at least five days, a practice known as quarantine. (People who were aware of their shots were not required to go into quarantine under the previous guidelines if they were asymptomatic.)
The quarantine advice is gone, one of the biggest changes in the new guidance.
“Quarantines are like a blunt instrument,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “I think we need to change how we think about controlling this virus.”
Now people exposed to the virus can continue with their daily routines regardless of their vaccination status, as long as they remain asymptomatic. However, they must wear a well-fitting mask for 10 full days, check themselves for symptoms, take extra safety measures around vulnerable people and get tested for at least five days after exposure.
If you use a home antigen test, you may need to test yourself repeatedly. To reduce the risk of false negative results, according to a new Food and Drug Administration recommendation, people who have no symptoms should undergo at least three tests, each 48 hours apart. People who do have Covid-19 symptoms should take at least two tests 48 hours apart.
“Your viral load grows after you’re infected,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who is now the chief science officer of eMed, which sells home testing. “It’s going up, and that takes time.”
What should I do if I test positive for the virus?
Insulate your home for at least five days and keep your distance from others in your household. This advice has not changed.
If you remained asymptomatic during your time in isolation — or if your symptoms improve and you’ve been fever-free for at least a day — you can leave isolation after day 5, according to guidelines.
Previously, the CDC recommended that people with Covid-19 wear a mask for 10 full days. Under the new guidelines, people can remove their mask sooner if they test negative on two rapid antigen tests, at least 48 hours apart. Others have to keep masking for 10 days.
People who experience moderate to severe illness or have compromised immune systems should isolate themselves for at least 10 days, the agency said.
If symptoms return after isolation, people will have to start their isolation period again, according to the new guidelines.
What does this mean for schools and offices?
In theory, the new guidelines could free many schools and businesses from some of the restrictive measures that have been difficult to enforce, including navigating a different set of rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Quarantines are especially disruptive and divisive in schools.
Under the new guidelines, children who have been in close contact with someone who has Covid-19 will not be required to stay at home and schools will not be required to conduct regular tests to keep these children in the classroom, an approach known as “test to to stay.” Contact tracing and routine surveillance testing of asymptomatic people are no longer necessary in most settings, the CDC said.
In reality, the new guidelines may not change much in many schools, which have increasingly distanced themselves from these measures. Massachusetts, for example, dropped quarantine requirements for asymptomatic children in May.
Still, some districts and officials are following their directions from federal guidelines, which could prompt some places to relax their rules for the coming academic year.
“We welcome these guidelines,” Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement Thursday. “Every educator and every parent begins each school year with great hope, and this year even more so. After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so that we can focus like a laser on what children need.”
In an email to DailyExpertNews on Friday, the New York State Department of Health said it was reviewing the new CDC recommendations and would “soon” release its own back-to-school guidelines.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday it was also reviewing new federal guidelines and still finalizing plans for the upcoming school year.
The CDC guidelines state that schools experiencing outbreaks may want to temporarily take additional precautions, including surveillance testing, contact tracing, wearing masks, and opening windows and doors to improve ventilation.
