Strict Covid Isolation Rules May Discourage Testing

Hi, it’s Bob in New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering revising its Covid isolation guidelines, amid a debate over what’s the most practical advice for a Covid-weary world. But first...

Remember Covid-19? While the public largely moved on and tried its best to forget about the pandemic, the virus is still out there. It’s highly contagious and continues to mutate. And it is still killing more people than influenza.

That’s the context for the debate over whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should ease up on Covid isolation guidelines that advise people to isolate for at least five days after testing positive. Bloomberg News reported last week that the CDC hasn’t yet decided whether to update its guidelines to allow for a shorter isolation period, after the Washington Post reported that such a change was in the works.

The CDC’s Covid isolation guideline is more stringent than its recommendations for influenza, which say you should stay home at least 24 hours after fever is gone. As a practical matter, this mismatch can create a disincentive for people with mild symptoms to get tested for Covid.