CDC EASES COVID GUIDELINES

On August 11th, the Centers for Disease Control issued new Guidance for handling exposure to, and cases of, COVID-19. Of particular interest in the workplace, the CDC no longer recommends that individuals who are merely exposed to the virus isolate or quarantine themselves – meaning that they can report to work. New recommendations for individuals who actually become infected with the virus simplify the procedure for and timing of isolation. And the new Guidance abandons the well-known “six foot distance” rule, downplaying social distancing in favor of more general prevention steps.

The new procedures are widely seen as changing CDC’s focus from preventing all transmission to the goal of preventing the worst outcomes – a tacit recognition that COVID is here to stay. In that vein, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report stated on August 19 that while “COVID-19 remains an ongoing public health threat,” ‘the current focus on reducing medically significant illness, death, and health care system strain are appropriate and achievable aims.” With the August guidelines, the CDC has also signaled that responsibility for preventing the spread of the disease has shifted from institutions like employers to individuals.

The most important new recommendations include the following:

• Mere exposure to someone infected with the virus no longer means quarantine. An individual who is exposed to the virus, for example by exposure to an infected co-worker or...

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