Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials announced the guidance is in keeping with increasing proof that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.
Furthermore, the decision was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.
Early research suggests Omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. Though the sheer number of people becoming infected - and therefore having to isolate or quarantine - threatens to destroy the ability of hospitals, airlines, and different businesses to remain open, according to experts.
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announced that the nation is about to witness a lot of Omicron cases.
"Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic," she told The Associated Press on Monday. "We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science."
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The guidance comes as bars and restaurants across the nation are shuttering and reopening due to COVID exposure. Eatery owners in many states - including New York, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, and others - notified their customers in recent days of closures related to positive cases and exposure, according to the Washington Post.
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In New York City alone, where evidence of vaccination is needed by diners workers, the list of restaurants closures has already reached the double digits.
Last week, the agency eased rules that formerly called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new guidance said workers could return to work after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms. The agency announced isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer if there are severe staffing shortages.
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Currently, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent.
COVID cases in the U.S. have blasted over the past two weeks as the newly discovered strain starts to take hold in the nation.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky (pictured) announced that the nation is about to see a lot of Omicron cases: "Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science."
America is averaging 198,326 cases every day, an 68 percent increase over the past two weeks. Deaths and hospitalizations have not followed, though. The U.S. has not documented a higher seven day case average since January 19, the backside of the country's most devastating COVID surge to date.
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