CHICAGO - The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is communicating its current recommendations for managing illness and protecting the health of the public following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to streamline and simplify guidelines for managing seasonal respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, RSV and flu.

On March 1, CDC issued updated guidance for how people experiencing a range of COVID-19 symptoms can limit spread. The guidance advises that the time of isolation be based on an individual’s specific symptoms. The key takeaway is that those with any seasonal respiratory virus should stay home and away from others until their symptoms improve. Previously the guidance had been that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 isolate for five days regardless of their symptoms.

Beyond this streamlined guidance for the public in general settings, CDPH is working with state public health officials and stakeholders to communicate and implement updated guidance for specific settings, including schools and congregate settings such as shelters. This updated CDC guidance does not apply to healthcare settings.

“We continue to update recommendations as we learn about the respiratory viruses. While it remains true that when you have a respiratory virus infection, you can spread it to others, how long someone can spread the virus depends on different factors, including how sick they are and how long their illness lasts. This is not the same for everyone. This updated guidance provides a more tailored approach rather than a general recommendation,” said CDPH Commissioner Olusimbo Ige, MD, MPH. “But I want to be clear, that even with this updated guidance, one thing has not changed: if you are sick, you should stay home to prevent infecting others. We must all continue to use the full range of prevention strategies available to us to protect those most at risk for severe illness from respiratory viruses because they are older or have other underlying conditions.”

The core components of CDC’s updated recommendations are:

• If you get sick with a respiratory virus: stay home and away from others.
• You can consider returning to normal activities when: symptoms have been getting better overall for 24 hours, and if a fever was present, it has been gone for 24 hours without use of a fever-reducing medication.
• Once you resume normal activities, you are encouraged to take precautions for the next 5 days to curb disease spread including:
• Wear a well-fitting mask.
• Take steps for cleaner air.
• Enhance your hygiene practices.
• Keeping a distance from others.
• Get tested to inform your actions to prevent spread to others.

Enhanced precautions are especially important to protect those most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 and people with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems.

Beyond the updated guidance for managing illness, CDPH is reiterating the importance of everyone following core prevention strategies as outlined by the CDC:

• Stay up to date with vaccination for flu, COVID-19, and if eligible, RSV, to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
• Practice good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Take steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.

CDPH also encourages the use of additional prevention strategies to further protect yourself and others such as:

• Wearing masks in public.
• Maintaining physical distance from others.
• Testing for COVID-19 when you feel sick.

###