The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least six feet away from others. The changes come in recognition that — more than two and a half years after the pandemic began — an estimated 95 percent of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from vaccination or infection, agency officials said. “The current circumstances of this pandemic are very different from those of the past two years,” said CDC’s Greta Massetti, author of the guidelines. In Canada, it is estimated that more than half of Canadians have been infected with COVID since December after the emergence of Omicron and its highly contagious sub-variants, and more than 80 per cent of Canadians have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) still recommends a 10-day quarantine upon entering Canada if travelers test positive at the border or have symptoms, but provincial public health restrictions vary across the country. The CDC’s recommendations apply to everyone in the U.S., but the changes could be especially important for schools, which resume classes this month in many parts of the country. Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice may be reinstated in some cases during a spike in infections, officials said. The CDC also rejected a “stay testing” recommendation that said students exposed to COVID-19 could be routinely tested — rather than quarantined at home — to continue attending school. With no more quarantine recommended, the test option is gone as well. Masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is considered high or if a person is considered to be at high risk of severe illness. WATCHES | Calls to change COVID rules as traveler frustrations mount:
Calls to change COVID rules as traveler frustrations mount
Hours-long delays at Canada’s airports are prompting calls for the government to change its COVID-19 screening rules ahead of a busy summer travel season. School districts across the U.S. have been easing their COVID-19 precautions in recent weeks, even before the CDC relaxed its guidelines. Masks will be optional in most school districts when classes resume this fall, and some of the nation’s largest districts have withdrawn or eliminated testing requirements for COVID-19. Some have also been removed from testing programs to stay made impossible during the Omicron variant increases last school year. With so many new infections among students and staff, many schools have struggled to track and test their close contacts, leading to a temporary return to remote classes in some places. The average number of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths has been relatively stable this summer, at about 100,000 cases per day and 300 to 400 deaths. The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says home quarantine isn’t necessary, but urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five. The agency goes on to say that people who test positive should be isolated from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and are symptom-free or symptoms are improving. Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email: [email protected]
