National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that the CDC was considering amending the quarantine guidelines for those with asymptomatic COVID to include testing.
Anchor George Stephanopoulos said, “There has been a pretty big backlash this week to the CDC cutting quarantine for those testing positive without symptoms to five days. First of all, are you surprised by that, and why not have a negative test? Why not require a negative test for that extra layer of protection?”
Fauci said, “Well, let’s talk about the first principle, George. The idea of if a person is without symptoms and infected, that they need to be isolated for five days. Normally that would be ten days. The CDC decided that they would cut that down to five days if the person remains asymptomatic so long as when they do go out in the second five days of that ten-day period, back to work or back into society that they diligently wear a mask.”
He continued, “You’re right. There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested. That is something that is now under consideration. The CDC is very well aware that there has been some pushback about that. Looking at it again, there may be an option in that, that testing could be a part of that, and I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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