CDC Reduces Recommended Quarantine Period After Exposure

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shortening the recommended quarantine period from 14 days after a person has been exposed to the coronavirus, offering two alternatives, the agency said Wednesday.

The first alternative is to end quarantine after 10 days if no symptoms are reported, Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s Covid-19 incident manager, said on a call with reporters. The second option is to end quarantine after seven days if an individual tests negative and also reports no symptoms.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the recommended days a person must quarantine after coronavirus exposure from 14 days to seven or 10 days.

The new guidelines announced Wednesday say people who have close contact with an infected person can end their quarantine after seven days if they receive a negative test or after 10 days without a test.

The CDC defines close contact as 15 minutes total spent 6 feet or closer to an infected person. Dr. Henry Walke, incident manager for the CDC’s COVID-19 response,...