Coronavirus: CDC shortens quarantine from 14 to 10 days, 7 with negative test

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus quarantine guidelines Wednesday, shortening the time from 14 to 10 days or 7 days with negative test results.

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The move would allow those who have been infected to resume normal activity in nearly half the time that was previously recommended by the health organization.

“We can safely reduce the length of quarantine, but accepting that there is a small residual risk that a person who is leaving quarantine early could transmit to someone else if they became infected,” said Dr. John Brooks, the chief medical officer for the CDC, The New York Times reported.

The changes come amid updated research on the virus. The incubation period was thought to last 14 days with patients becoming infectious and showing symptoms between four and five days after exposure.

The agency has previously adjusted its guidelines. In July, it shortened the time a person should isolate after first showing symptoms from 14 to 10 days.

Quarantine refers to someone who might have been exposed to the virus, while isolation is for someone already infected with it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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