Covid isolation guidelines have finally been dropped by America’s health agency after being in place for three years.
Americans will no longer need to isolate for five days after testing positive for coronavirus, a statement issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed.
It is now advised for people to stay home if they are sick but Americans can return to work or school if they have been fever-free for 24 hours.
The CDC recommends continued mask wearing for five days, washing hands, maintaining physical distance and focusing on good ventilation.
Covid isolation guidelines have been updated in recent days
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However, the guidance remains in line with similar advice given for flu and other respiratory illnesses.
The statement, penned by CDC director Mandy Cohen, said: “Our goal here is to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendations are simple, clear, easy-to-understand and can be followed.”
The updated guidance "reflects the progress we’ve made in protecting against severe illness from COVID," she added.
Previous guidelines called for Americans who contracted the virus to "stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home”.
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The CDC recommends continued mask wearing for five days, washing hands, maintaining physical distance and focusing on good ventilation
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The agency also recommended a 10-day isolation period for people who tested positive for the virus.
Dr Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Fox News: “The change is based on the fact that, according to Dr Cohen, though wastewater analysis for COVID is very high, at the same time, case counts and hospitalizations are MUCH lower.”
He added: “The goal is to have one set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses — flu, RSV, Covid, etc.”
However, Siegel also highlighted that recommendations do not apply to every patient, including pregnant women.
Some states had already relaxed their own guidelines prior to the CDC’s official update
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Some states had already relaxed their own guidelines prior to the CDC’s official update.
Oregon and California have not forced people to isolate provided people have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medicine and their other symptoms are improving.
Positive Covid results stood at just 7.4 per cent in the week ending February 24, a 0.6 per cent decrease from the prior week.
Less than two per cent of all emegency department visits resulted in a diagnosis of Covid, down 0.9 per cent.
Covid-related hospitalisations also dropped by 10.3 per cent over the same period as the share of US deaths due to the virus dipped to just 2.1 per cent.