CDC plans to drop COVID isolation guidelines

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The CDC says it has plans to drop the five-day COVID isolation guidelines.

Under the new guidance planned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans who test positive for the coronavirus no longer need to routinely stay home from work and school for five days.

Instead, they may be able to return to their routines if they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without medication; the same standard applied to flu and RSV illnesses.

The agency last changed its policy on isolation in 2021 when it scaled down the recommended period to five days from 10.

If this new approach is adopted, it would signal that COVID has taken place alongside other routine respiratory infections.

Health experts believe the impending change could be because most people have developed a level of immunity to the virus because of prior infection or vaccination.