- Based on updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development says workers who contracted COVID-19 no longer need to test negative for the virus before returning to work
- Individuals should still meet three criteria to safely resume workplace activities
- Extra caution recommended for workers whose cases were more severe
Connecticut employees who contracted COVID-19 no longer need to test negative for the virus before returning to work, according to the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development. The state is easing restrictions based on updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC previously recommended two strategies for employees affected by COVID-19 to discontinue quarantine and return to work. One was based on a series of negative tests over time, while the other was based on a certain period of time passing after a person no longer showed symptoms.
While the CDC is no longer recommending a test-based strategy, it does advise that employees only return to work after meeting three criteria:
- Ten days have passed since the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms, or 10 days have passed since a positive test and they have experienced no symptoms
- They have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication
- All other symptoms related to COVID-19 continue to improve
Those who experienced more serious or critical cases remain infectious for a longer period of time and should quarantine for at least 20 days before returning to work.