The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its previous COVID-19 isolation guidelines, removing a recommendation for five days of self-isolation for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
The CDC now recommends patients who are sick with “any respiratory virus” should monitor their symptoms and self-isolate (stay home) when they are sick and symptomatic. These patients may go back to normal activities if their symptoms have improved and they no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours.
CDC recommendations when you may have a respiratory virus:
- Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren’t better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.
- You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
- Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
- You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
- When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.
