Kansas adopts CDC guidelines shortening quarantine time, state health department says
Kansas will update its guidelines on quarantine time to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s shortened length of time, the state health department announced Thursday.
On Monday, the CDC reduced the recommended amount of time an asymptomatic person should isolate after testing positive for COVID from between seven and 10 days, down to five days. The guidance also reduced the amount of time people exposed to the virus should quarantine to five days. Anyone exposed is advised to wear a mask around others for at least five days following a quarantine.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reviewed the CDC’s data and new recommendations on Tuesday before adopting the new rules.
While the changes are significant, they are based on balancing the evidence and protection vaccinations provide, Dr. Sanmi Areola, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, said in an email.
He explained the CDC’s rationale comes from new data that shows the virus is most likely to be transmitted one to two days before symptoms appear and early in the course of illness.
“Getting vaccinated, staying home when sick and wearing masks correctly and consistently still remain the best way to prevent COVID-19 infections,” he said.
“Over the course of the pandemic, JCDHE has evaluated and followed the guidance from CDC and KDHE and will continue to implement recommendations for Johnson County.”
CDC data shows that about 412 per 100,000 people in Kansas have tested positive over the past seven days.
The updated guidance is expected to help more people return to their daily lives, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC said in a statement on Monday.
Anyone who is not fully vaccinated and is exposed to the virus should quarantine for five days and wear a mask when out in public for the following five days.
People who have received booster shots are no longer required to quarantine, but it is recommended they wear a mask for the 10 days following an exposure to COVID.
A COVID test should be administered five days after an exposure. When symptoms can no longer be attributed to the virus, quarantine is not required.
But experts say following up with a PCR test could help verify a negative result and those who feel sick need to take time off.
“You really shouldn’t be going to work sick anyways,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Kansas Health System, said in a previous interview.
The changes come as the omicron variant has spread quickly across the country, including in the Kansas City metro area.
The metro added more than 1,800 cases on Wednesday alone.
About 51% of Kansans were fully vaccinated as of Dec. 29.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 1:43 PM.
