CDC expected to ease COVID-19 recommendations this week

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to update its Covid-19 guidelines in the coming days, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

A preview of the plan shows that the updated recommendations are expected to ease Covid-19 measures at schools, quarantine guidelines for those who have been exposed to the virus, and de-emphasize the 6-feet of social distancing.

The CDC is expected to de-regularize screening testing for Covid-19 in schools as a way to monitor the spread of the virus, the anonymous sources told CNN. 

Many schools require students exposed to Covid-19 to take regular tests to attend classes after the agency recommended such a measure in December during the first omicron wave. Such a measure, however, was resource-intensive for schools. 

Instead, the agency will recommend testing for Covid-19 at community levels or only in areas that have a higher risk of spread, such as nursing homes or prisons.

Currently, the CDC requires people who are unvaccinated or are not up to date with their Covid-19 vaccinations to quarantine for at least five days after they have been in contact with someone positive for Covid-19. The new guidelines will no longer require these individuals to stay at home. Instead, they will be required to wear a mask and test at least five days after the exposure.

The agency will no longer recommend people stay 6-feet away from each other. Instead, the new guidelines will aim to get people to understand that some places might pose a higher risk than others. For example, indoor places with poor ventilation and large crowds might be areas one might want to avoid or take extra precautions in.

The new guidelines, which might be released as early as this week, are still being deliberated and have not been made final.

“The CDC is always evaluating our guidance as science changes and will update the public as it occurs,” a source told CNN, adding that the newly updated guidelines are reflecting a shift in the public’s sentiment toward the pandemic.