White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview Sunday that the Centers for Disease Control may amend its isolation guidance for Americans who test positive for COVID-19 — again — following backlash over recent changes that some saw as unduly deferent to business interests that have been clamoring for more lenient guidelines.
Fauci, speaking with host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week,” said there “has been some concern” from public health officials over the CDC’s decision to shorten the amount of time it advised positive but asymptomatic people to isolate. Last week, the agency cut the quarantine period from 10 days to five, a policy that mirrored requests made by red-state governors and business leaders who were worried about the effects of a new COVID-19 surge on commerce.
Many Americans subsequently questioned why the guidance wouldn’t at least require a negative test — a criticism that Fauci addressed during his conversation with Stephanopoulos.
Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
“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,” Fauci said.
“I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC,” he added.
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells @GStephanopoulos that the CDC is considering amending the isolation guidance for asymptomatic patients to include testing.
“The CDC is very well aware that there has been some pushback about that.” https://t.co/AA3csRTGyE pic.twitter.com/P1WkSNrdFS
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 2, 2022
In a separate interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Fauci explained the rationale behind the CDC’s decision, saying, “the likelihood of transmissibility is considerably lower” after five days of your body battling the virus.
Read more on the hardships frontline workers face during the pandemic:
