The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed many of its Covid-19 guidelines this week, moving sharply away from several of the precautions, including quarantines and social distancing, that have long defined the pandemic .
The move was prompted by the fact that many Americans now have some immunity to the coronavirus, through a combination of vaccination and prior infection, and by the availability of vaccines, booster shots and antiviral drugs that can reduce the risk of serious illness.
Part of the public health agency’s goal in issuing the new guidance was to streamline recommendations and help people manage their own risk, officials said. But the guidelines are still complex and contain many nuances.
Here are answers to some common questions about what the guidelines mean for you.
Do I still have to stay six feet away from strangers?
The CDC hasn’t completely abandoned the idea of social distancing; instead, the agency suggests keeping a distance from others as one of many strategies people can use to help reduce their risk.
The old guidelines recommended that people who were not up to date on their vaccinations “keep at least six feet away from other people” in indoor public spaces.
The agency now recommends that people “may want to avoid crowded areas” or keep a distance from others to minimize their exposure to the virus. This precaution may be especially important for people who are at high risk of severe Covid-19, the agency noted.
Do I still have to wear a mask?
The general mask guidelines have not changed. The CDC still recommends that everyone 2 years of age and older wear an appropriate mask in indoor public spaces when the local community level of Covid-19 is high. People who are at high risk of serious illness should also wear a mask when their communities are at an average level, according to the guidelines.
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. counties are at a high community level, according to the CDC
What should I do if I have been exposed to the virus?
As a precaution, the CDC used to recommend that people who were not up to date on their vaccinations and had been in close contact with someone with Covid-19 stay home for at least five days, a practice known as quarantine. (People who were up to date on their shots did not have to be quarantined if they were asymptomatic, according to previous guidelines.)
Gone is the quarantine recommendation, one of the biggest changes in the new guidance.
“Quarantines are kind of a blunt tool,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. “I think we need to change the way we think about controlling this virus.”
Now, people who have been exposed to the virus can continue with their daily routines regardless of their vaccination status, as long as they remain asymptomatic. However, they should wear a suitable mask for a full 10 days, monitor themselves for symptoms, take extra safety measures around vulnerable people and get tested at least five days after exposure.
If you use an antigen test at home, you may need to test yourself repeatedly. To reduce the risk of false-negative results, people without symptoms should take at least three tests, each 48 hours apart, according to a new recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration. People who have symptoms of Covid-19 should have at least two tests 48 hours apart.
“Your viral load grows after you’re infected,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who is now the chief scientific officer of eMed, which sells home tests. “It goes up, and that takes time.”
What should I do if I test positive for the virus?
Isolate at home for at least five days and keep your distance from others in your household. This recommendation has not changed.
If you remained asymptomatic during your time in isolation, or if your symptoms are improving and you’ve been fever-free for at least a day, you can leave isolation after day 5, according to the guidelines.
Previously, the CDC recommended that people with Covid-19 wear a mask for 10 full days. Under the new guidelines, people can take off their masks sooner if they test negative on two rapid antigen tests, taken at least 48 hours apart. Others should continue to mask for 10 days.
People with moderate to severe illness or who have a compromised immune system should self-isolate for at least 10 days, the agency said.
If symptoms return after isolation, people should begin their isolation periods, according to the new guidelines.
What does this mean for schools and offices?
In theory, the new guidelines could free many schools and businesses from some of the restrictive measures that have been difficult to enforce, such as navigating a different set of rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Quarantines have been particularly disruptive and divisive in schools.
Under the new guidelines, children who have been in close contact with someone who has Covid-19 should not stay home and schools should not conduct frequent tests to keep these children in the classroom, an approach known as “try to stay”. Contact tracing and routine surveillance testing of asymptomatic people are no longer necessary in most settings, the CDC said.
In reality, the new guidelines may not change much in many schools, which had been moving further and further away from these measures. Massachusetts, for example, eased quarantine requirements for asymptomatic children in May.
Still, some districts and officials are taking their cues from the federal guidance, which could lead to some localities relaxing their rules for next school year.
“We welcome these guidelines,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement Thursday. “All educators and parents start each school year with great enthusiasm, and this year even more so. After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what children need.”
In an email to The New York Times on Friday, the New York State Department of Health said it was reviewing the CDC’s new recommendations and would release its own back-to-school guidance “soon “.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday it was also reviewing new federal guidelines and was still finalizing plans for the upcoming school year.
CDC guidelines said schools experiencing outbreaks may want to temporarily take additional precautions, such as surveillance testing, contact tracing, wearing masks and opening windows and doors to improve ventilation.