The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of days one should quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus from 14 days to 7-10 days.
Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the CDC, made the announcement during a coronavirus task force meeting on Tuesday.
Dr. Redfield informed Vice President Mike Pence and the White House coronavirus task force that the CDC will be issuing new orders on the number of days that a person who has been in direct contact with the COVID-19 virus should quarantine “soon” reports CNN.
The new guidelines recommend that someone who has been exposed or had close contact with the virus should quarantine for seven to 10 days, which is less than the originally recommended 14 days.
According to the new guidelines, the individual can end their quarantine after seven days with a negative COVID-19 test, or 10 days without a test.
The CDC has defined close contact as “multiple encounters with an infected person” or “exposures adding up to a total of 15 minutes spent six feet or closer to an infected person.”
According to a CDC official, the vice president has been pushing for the CDC to re-examine the guidelines for many months now.
Health officials have continued to stress the importance of masks and social distancing, even with a potential vaccine in the works.
