The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued revised guidance concerning how long employers should require employees to stay at home after testing positive for Covid-19. Based on evolving medical information about the infectious period of coronavirus, the new guidance reduces the quarantine time from 14 days to 10 days in most cases.
Significantly, the new guidance changes the focus from testing to symptoms when deciding when it is safe to end an employee’s quarantine. The new timeline includes the following:
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- Employees who tested positive but never develop symptoms can end isolation after 10 days.
- Those who tested positive and have moderate to mild symptoms can end isolation after 10 days if at least 24 hours have passed without a fever and other symptoms have improved.
- Those who tested positive and have severe illness may need to continue isolation for a full 20 days.
- Those who were exposed to the virus but were never tested and have no symptoms should continue to quarantine for the full 14 days.
The new guidance is found on the CDC’s website at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html
Virginia employers who have prepared policies to comply with the new VOSH regulations known as the Emergency Temporary Standard might consider revising their quarantine policies in light of this new CDC guidance.
Feel free to contact us if you have questions about this matter.
