NEWS: COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines Updated by the CDC

We’ve shared a number of updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year to help you prepare for your future travels, whether those are to Disney World, on a Disney Cruise, or beyond.

Over the past few days, we’ve seen mask rules change at Universal Orlando, and we’ve also shared news about COVID-19 positivity rates in Florida. Recently another change was made regarding certain COVID-19 guidelines, this time by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”).

On Monday, December 27th, 2021, the CDC issued updated guidelines and recommendations when it comes to isolation and quarantine. 

We’ll start with isolation. This is for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. The CDC has now shortened the recommended isolation times. According to the updated guidelines, for those who test positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status) the CDC recommends that the individual isolate for 5 days. This is a reduction from the previously recommended 10 days of isolation.

Following the 5 days of isolation, the individual, if asymptomatic, can leave their home. But the CDC notes that the individual’s 5-day isolation should be followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others.

The CDC also notes that those who test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms can leave their home after the 5-day isolation period if their “symptoms are resolving.” Still, these individuals should wear a mask for 5 days following the isolation.

If an individual has a fever, however, the CDC recommends that the person stay home until the fever resolves.

Additionally, the CDC has updated its quarantine recommendations. These apply to individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19. The recommendations differ depending on whether the individual is vaccinated, has received a booster, and other factors.

If the individual is unvaccinated or is more than 6 months out from their 2nd mRNA dose (or more than 2 months out from their Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and they are not yet boosted, the the CDC recommends that the individual quarantine for 5 days following their exposure to COVID-19. Those 5 days of quarantine should then be followed by “strict mask use for an additional 5 days.”

If a 5-day quarantine is not feasible for that person, then the CDC notes that it is “imperative that [the] exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.”

For those who have received a booster shot for COVID-19 or have received their 2nd dose of an mRNA vaccine within the last 6 months (or they completed the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last 2 months), the rules are a bit different. The CDC actually recommends that these individuals simply wear a mask around others for 10 days. Note that quarantine is not part of the guidelines for those who fall into this category.

In both cases (those who have been boosted or otherwise fall in that category, or those who are unvaccinated or otherwise fall in that group) if the person develops symptoms, the CDC recommends that the individual get a COVID-19 test and stay home. The CDC shares that individuals who develop symptoms should immediately quarantine until the negative test confirms that their symptoms are not due to COVID-19.

Additionally, the CDC says that for anyone exposed, the best practice is to get a test for COVID-19 at day 5 after their exposure.

What has prompted these changes? According to the CDC, these changes are motivated by science that has demonstrated that the majority of COVID-19 transmission takes place in the early course of the virus — generally in the 1-2 days prior to the start of symptoms, and in the 2-3 days after symptoms have started.

When it comes to vaccine efficacy, the CDC notes that “Data from South Africa and the United Kingdom demonstrate that vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine is approximately 35%. A COVID-19 vaccine booster dose restores vaccine effectiveness against infection to 75%.”

This change comes not long after the CDC also updated quarantine requirements for essential workers. As NPR notes, the CDC updated its guidance previously for health care workers, noting that they could return to work after 7 days if they were asymptomatic and had a negative COVID-19 test. Some states, like New York, have also adjusted their own quarantine rules when it comes to essential workers.

The CDC’s adjustments have, however, been met with “mixed reactions from health experts” according to the Boston Globe.

The Boston Globe shares that many have agreed that the new CDC recommendations are “in line with evidence that shows people with the virus are most infectious two days before and three days after showing symptoms.” But some experts have been less than pleased that the CDC did not require a negative COVID-19 test to be added to the guidelines. 

Some feel this is a “key ingredient” that could have helped ensure a person is COVID-19 free when ending their now shortened quarantine period.

Dr. Megan Ranney, the associate dean of public health at Brown University said, “Requiring a rapid test before ending isolation … would be far, far, far safer.” The Boston Globe notes, however, that getting a COVID-19 test has been “far from easy” recently.

According to the Boston Globe, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has indicated that this updated guidance is “meant to help prevent another economic shutdown and keep businesses open.” In a statement to the Associated Press, Walensky said “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease expert, said “With the sheer volume of new cases that we are having and that we expect to continue with Omicron, one of the things we want to be careful of is that we don’t have so many people out.” 

Some have praised the CDC’s changes, or indicated that they’ve felt like the changes were reasonable. Keep in mind that the CDC’s guidelines and recommendations are all subject to change again in the future.

If you want to read more about the CDC’s recommendations, you can visit their website by clicking here. We’ll continue to look for more COVID-19 related news to help you plan for your upcoming trips. Check back for all the latest updates.