Source: Children's Health Defense
The CDC on Thursday issued sweeping new recommendations as part of the agency’s efforts to overhaul its COVID-19 guidance.
“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” the CDC’s Greta Massetti said in a press release.
Here are the biggest changes to the CDC’s guidance:
- Unvaccinated people now have the same guidance as vaccinated people.
- Those who are exposed to the virus are no longer required to quarantine regardless of vaccination status.
- Students may stay in class even if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19.
- Six-foot social distancing is no longer recommended.
- Contact tracing and routine surveillance testing of symptomatic people are no longer recommended in most settings.
According to The New York Times, the CDC has been working for months on the new guidance which builds on previous guidance issued in February that reduced isolation times for those who get COVID-19.
The agency said it is making changes to its guidance now because “vaccination and prior infections have granted many Americans some degree of protection against the virus, and treatments, vaccines and boosters are available to reduce the risk of severe illness.”
According to The National Law Review:
“The CDC’s focus on individual responsibility, the removal of distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated, the removal of quarantine recommendations and the discussion of mask-wearing as an individual responsibility are good news for employers who are considering relaxing COVID-19 workplace requirements.
“This likely will not be the last we hear from the CDC on this topic. Indeed, the CDC stated that it intends to issue more specific guidance for settings such as healthcare, congregate living, and travel.”
