The update does not require people to undergo testing before leaving isolation, as some critics of the new guidelines have called for.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday clarified its isolation guidelines for people who have tested positive for COVID-19, saying that those who have access to and want to test themselves should use rapid tests toward the end of their five-day isolation periods.In an update posted on the CDC’s website, officials said those who test positive should continue to isolate for a total of 10 days.
Officials released the latest guidance last week, cutting the recommended isolation time for people who test positive for COVID-19, but who do not show symptoms, from 10 to five days. In a news release, the CDC said the decision was prompted by the spread of the omicron variant and scientific evidence showing that most transmission happens “early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to the onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.
“It’s frankly reckless to proceed like this,” Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute,