https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-covid-biden-fauci-quarantine-11640817574?mod=opinion_lead_pos3
‘Tis the season for epiphanies, even at the White House. President Biden on Monday said there’s no “federal solution” to the pandemic, and now his Administration is acknowledging that protecting public health requires balancing social and economic considerations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week even revised its isolation guidelines. Praise be. Airlines have cancelled thousands of flights because so many workers were having to self-isolate after testing positive or being exposed to someone who had. As the Omicron variant spreads, businesses are struggling to operate.
Studies show that people are most contagious in the first couple of days before they develop symptoms and a few days afterwards. The incubation period for Omicron appears to be on average three days, shorter than with other variants. Thus the CDC shortened its recommended isolation for most people who test positive or who have been exposed to the virus to five days from 10.
The new guidelines will reduce economic and social disruption and shouldn’t endanger public health, though they won’t eliminate the risk of transmission by people who follow them. Government’s job is to manage public-health risks as best it can while allowing society and the economy to function. It can never eliminate all health risks.