In the wake of Omicron outbreak, CDC reduces quarantine time for healthcare workers

In the wake of Omicron outbreak, CDC reduces quarantine time for healthcare workers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that healthcare workers in the United States who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic can return to work after seven days in isolation if they test negative.

The CDC stated that the revised recommendation reduces the quarantine time from a previously recommended 10 days in preparation for an expected surge in Omicron infections. According to the CDC, Omicron currently accounts for 73 percent of the coronavirus infections in the United States.

The CDC stated that if there are staffing shortages due to COVID-19, the quarantine duration can be reduced even further and that healthcare workers who have been completely vaccinated, including a booster, do not need to quarantine at home following high-risk exposures.

National Nurses United, on the other hand, termed the CDC’s move to weaken employer isolation guidance ‘dangerous’ and requested that it be maintained.