Ohio is reviewing CDC’s new guidelines for COVID cases and exposures

On Dec 28, 2021

Ohio Health Department officials are reviewing the CDC's updated COVID-19 quarantine and isolation protocol.

Federal authorities are scaling back how much time people exposed to or infected with COVID-19 need to spend away from others but it’s unclear how this might change state guidance to Ohioans.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week changed its recommendations for isolation and quarantine for COVID-19, saying that science shows most of the virus transmission happens in the one to two days before symptoms appear and the first two to three days after.

“We are working with our local health departments to ensure that (CDC) guidance is reviewed and will continue to keep Ohio as safe and healthy as possible. We will provide updated information as soon as possible,” the Ohio Department of Health said in a written statement on Tuesday.

The CDC’s new isolation recommendations for those who test positive for COVID-19 are:

If asymptomatic after five days, they can leave isolation and then wear a mask for another five days.
If they still have a fever after five days, they should continue isolation until the fever goes away.

The CDC’s new quarantine recommendations for those exposed to COVID-19 are:

Unvaccinated people or those who are more than six months out from their last shot and not yet boosted, quarantine for five days and then follow strict mask use for an additional five days.
People who have received a booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure but should wear a mask for 10 days.
Everyone exposed should get a COVID-19 test five days after exposure.

More:CDC cuts isolation time for Americans who test positive from 10 days to 5. Latest COVID-19 updates

Ohio has often modified its guidance based on updates from the CDC. Schools, employers and others then follow Ohio’s guidance. Dropping from 10 days to five days for isolation and/or quarantine could make a big impact for parents and their school age children as well as workers.

Ohio Department of Health quarantine guidance includes:

Quarantine is not required for fully vaccinated people who show no symptoms.
Anyone living in a group setting should quarantine for 14 days and get tested, even if there are no symptoms and regardless of vaccination status.
Staying at home for at least seven days after last exposure with a negative test result from a sample collected on day five or later.

In K-12 schools, the Ohio Department of Health recommends:

Vaccinated children don’t have to quarantine or be tested following an exposure.
Unvaccinated children should quarantine if the exposure took place outside school.
Unvaccinated kids exposed to the virus in school settings can continue to attend school and extracurricular activities if masks and other precautions were in place.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.