On July 17, the CDC updated its guidance on when persons with COVID-19, or those who have symptoms of COVID-19, may discontinue home isolation. The updated three-part standard is less restrictive than its previous iteration. A summary of the evidence and rationale for these changes is described here.
| Old Standard | New Standard |
| At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared | At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared |
| At least 72 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications | At least 24 hours have passed since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications |
| Respiratory symptoms have improved | Symptoms have improved |
This standard presumes that a person will not be tested again to determine if the person is negative for COVID-19. The CDC did not change its guidance on discontinuing home isolation for persons who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not experience symptoms. In those instances, the person may discontinue home isolation when at least 10 days have passed since the person’s first COVID-19 test that yielded a positive result, so long as the person never showed symptoms of COVID-19.