Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Shifts Guidance For Workers In Critical Fields Who Have Been Exposed To The Coronavirus
The Hill: CDC Issues New Guidance For Essential Workers Exposed To Coronavirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued new guidelines aimed at getting workers who have been exposed to the coronavirus in critical fields back to work faster. Under the old guidance, workers were told to stay at home for 14 days if they were exposed to someone who had tested positive for coronavirus. The new guidelines will allow critical workers who have been exposed go back to work as long as they are asymptomatic and follow conditions like taking their temperature before going to work, wearing a face mask at all times and practicing social distancing at work as much as possible. (Sullivan, 4/8)
The Associated Press: Feds Loosen Virus Rules To Let Essential Workers Return
The new guidelines are being issued as the nation mourns more than 14,000 deaths from the virus and grapples with a devastated economy and medical crises from coast to coast. Health experts continue to caution Americans to practice social distancing and to avoid returning to their normal activities. At the same time, though, they are planning for a time when the most serious threat from COVID-19 will be in the country’s rear-view mirror. President Donald Trump said that while he knows workers are “going stir crazy” at home, he can’t predict when the threat from the virus will wane. (Miller, Riechmann and Stobbe, 4/9)
Politico: Trump Administration Says Front-Line Workers Can Go Back To Work Sooner After Virus Exposure
The new guidance includes three main conditions: Essential workers who have been exposed to the virus must take their temperature before going to work, wear a face mask and practice social distancing at all times. It's unclear if the CDC guidance advises health workers to wear a specific kind of mask, like an N95, which has been in short supply in many parts of the country. Redfield also said the CDC is advising people returning to work after coronavirus exposure to avoid congregating in break rooms, lunch rooms or crowded places, and he said employers should increase air exchange in offices and more frequently clean surfaces in communal spaces. (Ehley, 4/8)
NPR: White House Issues New Guidelines For Critical Employees Returning To Work
The CDC defines a potential exposure as "being a household contact or having close contact within 6 feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The timeframe for having contact with an individual includes the period of time of 48 hours before the individual became symptomatic." The new guidance apply only to workers in critical infrastructure jobs. That category has been defined by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (part of the Department of Homeland Security), but only as an advisory list, not a federal standard. (Wamsley, 4/8)
