The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly planning to eliminate its recommendation that people testing positive for Covid-19 should isolate for five days – the first time its guidelines on Covid-19 have changed since December 2021.
People with mild symptoms would be able to return to school or work if they are fever-free for at least 24 hours, the Washington Post reported, citing three people familiar with internal discussions on the policy change.
The Biden administration has not signed off on the changes, with the updated policy expected to be publicized in April for public comment. One official told the Post that timing around announcing the updated policy could “move around a bit”.
The CDC said that there were “no updates to Covid guidelines to announce at this time”, in a statement shared with the Guardian.
“We will continue to make decisions based on the best evidence and science to keep communities healthy and safe,” the CDC spokesperson said.
Other states have already loosened their Covid-19 isolation policies, such as Oregon and California, the New York Times reported.
Both states have said that infected people who are asymptomatic are able to return to their school or work without any isolation period.
Changes to the CDC’s isolation policy have been in the works since August, the Post reported. They were temporarily paused when Covid-19 cases rose in the fall.
Infections and hospitalizations from respiratory viruses, including Covid, rose in the US during December and January, largely fueled by travel and gatherings during the holiday season.
The rise in illness caused some hospitals and healthcare facilities to bring back mask mandates and limited-visitation policies.
As of 5 February, more than 90% of Covid-infections are caused by the JN.1 variant, CBS News reported. New data from the CDC showed that the most updated Covid-19 vaccines are only 49% effective against the symptomatic JN.1 variant for those who have received their shots within two to four months, CBS reported.
