The CDC has announced new COVID-19 guidelines for healthcare personnel returning to work after quarantine. 

The new CDC guidelines will allow healthcare personnel with COVID-19 to return to work after 7 days if they show no symptoms and test negative.

The new guidelines do not apply to the public.

Piedmont Healthcare COVID-19 Taskforce's Jayne Morgan says "You really have an infectious period of about 10 days however, narrowing it down to 7 days since we know that the peak is at the onset of symptoms certainly makes sense and certainly makes sense for healthcare workers who will be donned in the most absolute PPE possible while they're at work, unlike others."

The 42,000-member Nurse's Association issued a statement saying, "Not prioritizing the safety and retention of healthcare workers from the beginning of the pandemic is what exacerbated staffing shortages. That's job number one in pandemic response. This guidance is only going to worsen the shortage and put our patients at risk. Our healthcare workers deserve better and our patients deserve better."

The CDC also says healthcare workers do not need to quarantine following high-risk exposures if they have received all recommended vaccinations, including a booster.