OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has yet to assent to a federal relaxation of COVID-19 isolation policies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ceased the previously suggested 5-day isolation guideline for those who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 1.
However, DOH is still reviewing the rules, and Grant County is holding off on implementing the relaxed CDC guidelines until the state health department approves the federal guidelines.
Under the new CDC guidelines, which do not apply to healthcare workers, those who feel that their symptoms have abated can return to school or work within just 24 hours.
Because the DOH has not yet approved these changes, state and county employees are currently confronted with diverging federal and state suggestions as to how to isolate following a positive COVID-19 test.
