Washington Adopts New CDC Quarantine Guidelines

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Health has updated their quarantine guidelines, which will allow some to cut their quarantine short.

Washington has a few ways of notifying residents of potential COVID-19 exposure: for months, contact tracers have been calling and warning those who have been exposed to the virus, and the state just unveiled a new phone app which alerts users if they've been near an infected person.

Once a resident knows they've been exposed to the virus, they're supposed to enter a 14-day quarantine. The Washington State Department of Health says that, while they'd still recommend everyone quarantine for the full 14 days, they'll be following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which allow quarantines to be shortened in two scenarios:

• If a person who is in quarantine shows no symptoms, they can end their quarantine after day 10.
• If a person who is in quarantine receives a negative coronavirus test and also has no symptoms, they can end their quarantine after day seven. In this scenario, the person would ideally be tested within 48 hours of ending their quarantine.

According to the CDC, the risk of post-quarantine transmission after the first scenario is likely around one percent, but could be as much as 10 percent. The second is higher, with an estimated 5 percent chance of post-quarantine transmission, and an upper limit of 12 percent.

Because of those post-quarantine risks, the DOH is asking anyone who leaves quarantine before the full 14-day period to continue to monitor their symptoms and wear a mask through the 14th day. If they do develop symptoms, they should self-isolate to avoid infecting others.

In their news release, the Department of Health noted that the shortened quarantines are an imperfect solution, but that they know quarantine can be a difficult burden for some to bear, and they hope this slight flexibility will help:

"Both Washington state officials and the CDC recognize that a 14-day quarantine can impose personal burdens that may affect physical and mental health as well as cause economic hardship. This change in guidelines is meant to help reduce that burden, while continuing to keep our community safe."

Read the full quarantine guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.