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HEALTH

CDC cuts 14-day quarantine period after COVID-19 exposure in half. Here's what we know.

Daniella Medina
Nashville Tennessean

The original guidelines for a 14-day quarantine period after being exposed to COVID-19 set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just been cut in half, the CDC announced Wednesday. 

A person who has come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 can resume normal activity after 10 days — or seven days with a negative test result, the CDC's Dr. Henry Walke said in a media briefing Wednesday.

These new guidelines were presented Tuesday at a White House coronavirus task force meeting. A senior administration official told the Associated Press the task force was discussing the possibility of these guidelines changes for "some time."

These new guidelines come during a surge of novel coronavirus cases throughout the United States. Nearly 14 million people have been infected and over 270,000 people have died from COVID-19. 

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How long do I have to quarantine if I have been exposed to COVID-19?

A police officer directs traffic that is backed up on Second Street leading into a COVID-19 testing site.
The turnaround for COVID-19 test results is creeping up in Nashville, along with longer-than-usual lines at the city's drive-thru testing sites in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.

If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the CDC's new guidelines would allow you to resume normal activities after 10 days, according to AP. 

If you receive a negative test result after exposure, the quarantine period has been trimmed down to seven days. 

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Why were the quarantine guidelines shortened?

Dr. Henry Walke, incident manager for the CDC's COVID-19 response, said shortening the quarantine period could lessen the economic blow.

"Reducing the length of quarantine may make it easier to take this critical public health action by reducing the economic hardship associated with a longer period, especially if they cannot work during that time," Walke said. "In addition, a shorter quarantine period can lessen stress on the public health system and community, especially when new infections are rapidly rising." 

Walke said people should still monitor their symptoms for 14 days after exposure to the virus, however. 

The decision to shorten the quarantine period was based on study data and CDC models, he said. The 7-10 day quarantine period is a "good alternative" to a 14-day period. 

Quarantine:CDC says recommended quarantine time after COVID-19 exposure may be shortened to 7 or 10 days, down from 14

Daniella Medina is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter @danimedinanews.