BUFFALO, N.Y. — We have all seen the numerous changes in policy on COVID that can be quite confusing and now a question on the actual amount of days for quarantining has emerged with some differences between officials in Washington, Albany, and here at the county level.
During her briefing in Rochester on Monday, Governor Hochul was asked about this quarantine policy which the CDC altered just before the holidays.
Hochul says the state is going along with the CDC and reducing the number of days for the quarantine and isolation policies for those who test positive or are exposed to COVID and have no symptoms to five days. This comes as officials feel the need to balance safety with the health of the economy while asymptomatic workers are kept out in quarantine.
The state policy was announced on Christmas Eve and may have been missed during the holiday season. It does add the qualifier that those people can emerge from quarantine after five days only if they are vaccinated.
The Governor again acknowledged the confusion because county health officials have not adopted this shorter five day policy.
Hochul said "Everybody was sent home for ten days. They may have been absolutely asymptomatic and they're not contagious after five days and yet they've got five more days. That has been such a huge disruption to our economy. From restaurants to bus drivers to people working in schools. It's just been paralyzing. So based on what the CDC allows us to do is scale that to saying 'yes you can go back after five days if you're showing no symptoms, no fever in 72 hours and you've also have been vaccinated. Vaccinated people can go back after five . No fever for 72 hours. Absolutely no symptoms. If they're still sniffling then they have to stay home. So it's actually self reporting but otherwise we are paralyzing our workforce."
Checking the Erie County Health Department website - it still lists ten days of quarantine or isolation for a positive test or COVID exposed subject. That was also the apparent policy in Monroe County, the Rochester area where that question came up for the Governor.
We may find out more clarification if Erie County holds a COVID briefing tomorrow as they usually do on Tuesdays...