COVID Isolation Guidelines Changing, Reports Say: What It Means In CA

CALIFORNIA— For the first time in three years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to ease its isolation guidance for people who test positive for COVID-19, The Washington Post first reported, citing agency officials.

Currently, the CDC encourages all people — regardless of vaccination status — to isolate from others for five days when they have COVID-19. According to The Washington Post, the updated guidelines will say isolation is unnecessary once a person has been fever-free for 24 hours and their symptoms are mild or improving.

The pending change to federal guidelines appears to fall in line with California's approach.

After years of some of the strictest COVID-19 protocols in the nation, California's new guidelines issued in January were suddenly more lax than the federal recommendations from the CDC.

“Instead of staying home for a minimum of five days, individuals may return to work or school when they start to feel better,” California's public health department announced in January.

The new CDC recommendations will also more closely align its guidance with flu and RSV. The Post report cited four agency officials and an expert familiar with the talks.

The current CDC guidance says anyone who tests positive should isolate for at least five days and isolate from others in their home, as they are “likely most infectious." Existing protocols also say people should isolate themselves if they are sick and suspect they have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results.

The report comes as COVID-19-related hospital admissions fell 10 percent last week across the United States, and deaths fell 6 percent.

See related: People With COVID Can Go To School And Work: New CA Guidelines

In the Golden State, hospitalizations fell 13.7 percent last week, while deaths fell 0.7 percent.

Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told the Post that public health “has to be realistic.”

“In making recommendations to the public today, we have to try to get the most out of what people are willing to do. … You can be absolutely right in the science and yet accomplish nothing because no one will listen to you,” he said.