On February 10, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its public health recommendations for vaccinated persons. You can find that guidance here.
Of particular note, the CDC now says that persons who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to quarantine after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID‑19 if vaccinated persons meet all of these criteria:
- Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine).
- Are within 3 months following receipt of the last dose in the series.
- Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID‑19 exposure.
Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID‑19.
As you will all remember, when the Michigan legislature amended 2020 PA 238 in late December (by enacting 2020 PA 339), it changed the criteria for continuing quarantine to match evolving guidance from the CDC.
2020 PA 339 defines “quarantine” as: “(k) ‘Quarantine period’ means the recommended number of days that an individual be in quarantine after the individual is in close contact as prescribed in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines regarding COVID‑19.” And goes on to say:
- Except as provided in subsection (4), an employee who has close contact with an individual who tests positive for COVID‑19 shall not report to work until 1 of the following conditions is met:
- The quarantine period has passed since the employee last had close contact with the individual.
- The employee is advised by a health care provider or public health professional that they have completed their period of quarantine.
The change in the CDC guidance currently impacts a limited number of Michigan workers. To date, only certain categories of Michigan workers are eligible to receive a COVID‑19 vaccination under the state’s COVID‑19 Vaccination Interim Prioritization Guidance. Those workers include individuals age 65 and older; frontline essential workers including health care workers and long-term care staff, police officers, first responders, frontline state and federal workers, and jail and prison staff; and preK-12 teachers and childcare providers. As more Michigan workers become eligible to receive a COVID‑19 vaccination, those workers – once fully vaccinated – will also be allowed to avoid quarantine in the circumstances described above.
If you have any questions about the CDC’s updated public health recommendations for vaccinated persons or any other COVID‑19-related issue, please contact any member of Warner’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.