The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued new guidance for the management of COVID-19. People who are sick with COVID-19 are no longer recommended to be isolated for 5 days. The justification provided for this change, as stated by the CDC, is, “due to the effectiveness of protective tools and high degree of population immunity, there are now fewer hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.”
An infected person should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medications (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) AND their symptoms are improving. The duration of illness can vary but on average is between three to seven days. These are the same recommendations that apply to any contagious illness (for example flu, RSV, common colds). Upon return to work or school a person should use precautions to prevent the spread of illness for five days. Precautions include using proper hand-washing hygiene, covering coughs and sneezes, physical distancing, and wearing a mask.
View the CDC guidelines. There are additional recommendations on the webpage for special populations which you may need to review (for example for older adults or people with a weakened immune system). You also may review an infographic snapshot of the respiratory virus guidance.
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