CDC Changes Isolation & Quarantine Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed its COVID-19 guidance for isolation and quarantine time periods.

Isolation refers to what a person must do after testing positive for COVID-19. The CDC has shortened the isolation time period from 10 days to 5 days for those who are asymptomatic. As such, an employee who tests positive should isolate for 5 days; if the employee is asymptomatic at the end of that time period, the employee may leave isolation and return to work but must continue to wear a face covering for at least another 5 days. The CDC defines asymptomatic as having no symptoms or “symptoms are resolving,” but qualifies that if the person has a fever, he/she should stay home until the fever resolves.

Quarantine refers to what a person must do after being exposed to COVID-19. Here, the CDC has made two changes. First, the CDC has reduced the quarantine time frame to 5 days with strict mask use for an additional 5 days and a COVID-19 test on day 5 if possible. Second, the need to quarantine has been expanded to include those individuals who are vaccinated but whose second dose was over 6 months ago (2 months for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and have not yet received a booster vaccine. The only individuals who do not have to quarantine now are those who have received a booster vaccine; these individuals should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure and test for COVID-19 on day 5 if possible. 

Nevada has not yet released any information about this new guidance. Please contact a KZA attorney with questions and stay tuned for more information.

KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.