"Times Have Changed"... US Removes '1.82m Social Distancing' Despite 100,000 Daily COVID Cases

CDC "2 Years of Changing Situations"... "Focus on Avoiding Severe Illness"

In front of Nevada Union High School last January, there was a social distancing guidance sign. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] U.S. health authorities have decided to eliminate regulatory measures such as social distancing and quarantine related to COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new COVID-19 guidelines on the 11th (local time). According to these guidelines, the CDC has removed the "6 feet (1.82m) distancing" recommendation that had been advised since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, contact tracing will be limited to high-risk groups such as hospitals and nursing homes, and regular testing for the general public excluding high-risk groups will no longer be recommended. Even if someone has had close contact with a confirmed case, they do not need to quarantine if they are not infected with the virus. Previously, unvaccinated individuals exposed to the COVID-19 virus were advised to self-isolate for at least five days regardless of symptoms or confirmation of infection.

In schools, the recommendation to prevent students from different classrooms from mixing has been removed, and the so-called "test-to-stay" policy, which required students who had contact with confirmed cases to undergo regular testing to remain in class, will also be discontinued.

However, the CDC will maintain some measures at previous levels. Recommendations for testing symptomatic individuals and close contacts remain, and those confirmed positive must stay home for at least five days. During this period, the obligation to wear a mask when interacting with others for 10 days also remains in effect.

CNN evaluated that this change in guidelines shows how much has changed over more than two years since the early pandemic. It also added that it demonstrates that nearly all Americans have developed immunity through vaccination or infection.

Greta Massetti, CDC Field Epidemiology Prevention Branch Chief, said, "The current pandemic situation is very different from two years ago," adding, "With high levels of immunity from vaccination and infection, we can now focus on preventing severe illness caused by COVID-19."

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the average daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases recently has been around 100,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.