Utahns who have been exposed to COVID-19 but aren’t showing symptoms now only need to quarantine for 10 days instead of two weeks.
“We’re hoping this helps people here to quarantine a little bit more and decrease spread, but also, of course, allow people to limit the unintended consequences over a long 14 days," Angela Dunn said.
Dunn, state epidemiologist, joined Gov. Gary Herbert at a Thursday briefing to update Utah on COVID numbers and plans moving forward. She said the state will be adhering to the CDC’s new guidelines of reducing the quarantine time to 10 days for people who have been exposed but show no symptoms.
Herbert said he is optimistic this may reduce the stress Utahns feel when a quarantine results in economic hardship.
Dunn said those who do quarantine for 10 days must pay close attention to how they are feeling during the four days following their quarantine.
“So if you have a negative test on day seven of your quarantine, you can end your quarantine then and there," she said. "And you can still develop COVID in the next seven days, so it’s important to continue wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, and of course if you become symptomatic, isolate immediately.”
Cases are continuing to rise in the state and on Thursday, 3,945 new cases were reported. Herbert said the coming months will be crucial to slowing the spread of the virus, and the state needs all hands on deck in adhering to guidelines.
