The Illinois Department of Public Health says it is adopting the revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how long people should isolate after testing positive or being exposed to COVID-19.
The new CDC guidelines says people who test positive but who don’t have symptoms should isolate for five days, rather than 10, but should wear masks for five days after their quarantine ends. The five-day rule also applies to people who are close contacts to a confirmed case of COVID. Less stringent guidelines would apply if an individual is fully vaccinated and boosted.
State health officials say the new rules reflect the current science on when, and for how long, a person with the virus is most likely to be infectious.
