Missouri adopts CDC guidance on shortened quarantine time, Kansas not following suit yet
Missouri will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidance on quarantining after the federal agency announced Monday that it now recommends a shorter length of time.
“Staff is currently reviewing prior guidelines issued by DHSS to ensure compliance and consistency,” said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The CDC changed its guidelines, saying those who are infected need to isolate for five days and people have been exposed should quarantine for five days. The previous recommendation was 10 days.
Other local and state health departments are still reviewing the CDC’s new guidance.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has not updated their guidelines to match the CDC’s advice, maintaining that someone exposed to COVID-19 should continue to quarantine for seven to 10 days, Matthew Lara, a spokesman for the department, said Tuesday.
The agency is reviewing the updated guidance from the CDC. At this time, isolation and quarantine guidance has not changed, he said.
The Kansas City Health Department also continues to recommend a seven to 10 day quarantine.
The CDC’s adjustment comes after new data that shows transmission of COVID-19 occurs one to two days before symptoms appear and two to four days after they subside. The agency recommends that all people exposed to the virus should wear a mask in public for an added five days after isolating.
“The omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC said in a statement.
She said the update will help people continue their daily lives.
The best prevention is continuing to wear a mask, get vaccinated and take COVID tests before gathering, she said.
Medical experts who sounded off on social media had mixed reactions to the move, some saying it reflects scientific evidence that people with COVID-19 are most infectious two days before and three days after showing symptoms.
Others said a negative COVID-19 test should have been recommended for people before they end quarantine.
“CDC’s new guidance to drop isolation of positives to 5 days without a negative test is reckless,” tweeted Dr. Michael Mina, a Boston epidemiologist and expert on rapid tests.
Some (people) stay infectious 3 days, some 12. I absolutely don’t want to sit next to someone who turned (positive) 5 days ago and hasn’t tested (negative). Test (negative) to leave isolation early is just smart.”
Businesses from hospitals to airlines had asked the CDC to cut its recommended quarantine times.
“I think it’s good news in any way that we kind of ease up on the restrictions that come from the CDC or from the government, because those restrictions worry customers or scare customers when they’re overly strict. It just kind of creates fear,” said Bill Teel, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association which represents more than 800 area restaurants.
“So I think any easing in that regard will definitely have a positive impact on our customer base. There won’t be any changes, I don’t think, in terms of restaurant operations. I think it’s more of an impact on customers.”
Last week, the CDC shortened the recommended isolation time from 10 days to seven days for health care workers who test positive for COVID-19. Some health care experts had pushed for such a move as hospitals, already severely short-staffed, face even more staffing shortages with omicron surging.
The CDC also said last week that fully vaccinated health care workers who have received a booster shot don’t have to quarantine at home after high-risk exposures.
The country’s largest union of registered nurses, National Nurses United, condemned the move in a letter to Walensky.
“Weakening Covid-19 guidance now, in the face of what could be the most devastating Covid-19 surge yet, will only result in further transmission, illness, and death,” the letter said.
The CDC’s updated guidance comes as the omicron variant has led to a spike in cases around the country, including in the Kansas City metro. The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases at the beginning of the month was 457, according to data tracked by The Star. It’s now at 888.
Information on where in the Kansas City area to find a COVID-19 test can be found here.
Information on local vaccine appointments can be found here.
The Star’s Natalie Wallington contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 11:53 AM.
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