Updated COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidance for the General Public and Early Childhood & K-12

With many tools now available for reducing COVID-19 severity, such as availability of vaccine, boosters, and treatment, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.  CDC has updated its guidance for people who know they have been exposed to COVID-19.

If you were exposed to COVID-19, regardless of your vaccination status: CDC recommends that instead of quarantining, you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested 5 full days after your last exposure (day 6).

If you have COVID-19: regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others for 5 days. If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you should test on Day 6. If the test is negative, you may end isolation but should continue masking around others and in public. If the test is positive, you should continue to isolate.

Individuals with moderate illness or severe illness or with a weakened immune system, should isolate through day 10 and consult your doctor before ending isolation.

The joint early childhood & K-12 guidance for students and staff has also been updated to reflect the updated CDC guidance on exposure and isolation in these settings.

This guidance is further acknowledgement that, while COVID-19 is still with us, for a majority of people, COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts their daily lives.With many tools now available for reducing COVID-19 severity, such as availability of vaccine, boosters, and treatment, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.  CDC has updated its guidance for people who know they have been exposed to COVID-19.