CDC Refines "Close Contact" Guidelines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has refined its guidelines regarding what is considered a "close contact" exposure to COVID-19. In previous guidance, the CDC defined a close contact exposure as being within six feet of an infected person for 15 consecutive minutes or longer, though the CDC noted that this was a rule of thumb and other factors could influence the likelihood of exposure. On October 21, 2020, the CDC updated its guidance to state that a person should be considered to have had a close contact exposure if the person was within six feet of an infected individual "for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period." (Emphasis added.) The CDC continues to recommend determining such close contacts starting from two days prior to the infected person's onset of symptoms or positive COVID-19 test, whichever occurs first, until the time the infected person meets the CDC's criteria for discontinuing home isolation.