According to the CDC, COVID-19 guidelines are being relaxed, so Americans no longer need to quarantine themselves
On Thursday, the top United States health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced to relax its Coronavirus guidelines, dropping the recommendation of distancing, screening, and quarantine after close contact with an infected person. Moreover, the CDC said people don’t need to stay at least six feet away from others.
According to the CDC, COVID guidelines are being relaxed, so Americans no longer need to quarantine themselves. There is no longer a requirement to keep six feet between people. The CDC’s recommendations could have a significant impact on schools in particular.#COVIDguidelinespic.twitter.com/vZLkKd8MuX
Agency officials said the recently announced relaxation in guidelines came after recognizing that a projected ninety-five percent of Americans sixteen and older now gained some immunity, either after getting infected or being vaccinated. CDC announced the changes in guidelines more than two and a half years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An author o the guidelines, Greta Massetti, said that compared to the last two years, Coronavirus conditions had changed dramatically. For example, several areas across the United States long ago neglected social distancing and other one-common precautions. On the other hand, some changes could be specifically crucial for schools, which restart in-person classes in several parts of the country.
In which areas are face masks recommended?
Furthermore, the health agency also dropped a test-to-stay recommendation in schools, which said students exposed to Coronavirus could be regularly tested – instead of quarantined at home – to keep attending school. The testing option was also withdrawn with no quarantine recommendation. Face masks continue to be recommended only in regions where community transmission of the virus is considered high or if an individual is considered at high risk of severe illness.
Last week, Los Angeles announced that public schools are ending weekly Coronavirus tests and instead making at-home COVID tests available to families. Additionally, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) welcomed the changes after the CDC dropped previous COVID guidelines. President Randi Weingarten said that teachers and parents start every school year with great hope.
CDC Announced to Relax its COVID-19 Guidelines Source: Web
A Harvard University healthy building program director, Joseph Allen, said the new recommendations encourage children to stay in school as much as possible. According to him, many students were forced to stay home from school due to previous isolation policies, despite the virus being relatively low risk. In addition, upon being deemed a close contact, entire classes of kids were forced to miss school. As a result, there has been a significant disruption in learning caused by the closed schools.
COVID-19 Reported Cases
Around 100,000 cases and three hundred to four hundred deaths have been reported daily for COVID-19 this summer. In the past, the health agency suggested that people who are not up to date on their Coronavirus vaccinations stay home for at least five days if they come into close contact with someone who tests positive for Coronavirus. A 10-day quarantine at home is unnecessary, but the agency recommends that those who need to get tested after five days put on a high-quality mask for ten days.
