No more isolating? CDC updating guidelines on positive COVID-19 testing

now 10:15 a shifting guidance from the CDC multiple Reports say those Co isolation guidelines are about to change meaning people who get sick will be able to return to school or work much faster Boston 25 news reporter leads to papis you asked the doctor at Mass General about this yeah you know these guidelines for covid-19 haven't changed since 2021 it's been a couple years so some doctors agree it's time for an update I trust the CDC and I know that they're using the best data to make this decision Dr Ruan Barnabas is the chief of the Infectious Disease division at MGH she says the CDC is working on new guidance which will likely come out this spring that could say people will no longer need to isolate for 5 days after testing positive for covid-19 what does this mean for schools or offices you know do students or employees go right back to school or to work right after they test positive and is there a concern for that or it's fine if they're feeling okay so this aligns with other guidance for flu and for um RSV so as long as you're fever free for 24 hours without medication and symptom free for that over that that time period then it should be safe Dr Barnabas says immunity to co has changed with more vaccinations and infections so the guidelines should change too there's also a cost to isolation of course you know we've seen with absences from schools that test scores have decreased and we know that not only education and the outcomes in terms of productivity and learning are important but also our human connections are important and connections to each other but some health officials worry about eliminating that isolation period when covid has been deadlier than viruses like the flu and some suffer from long covid symptoms and Dr Barnabas still recommends that people get the covid vaccine and again these guidelines from the CDC have not officially changed yet but we're expecting to see that update sometime in the next couple months live in Walpole on Lita papis for your local station Boston 25 News