CDC Updates COVID-19 Isolation Guidance to Include a Section on Antigen Tests

Agency doesn't expressly recommend antigen tests but provides guidance should people choose to test

People wait in line at a testing site to receive a free COVID-19 PCR test in Farragut Square in Washington on Dec. 28, 2021. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines for COVID-19 isolation on Jan. 4 to include a section on rapid antigen tests, in which it provides guidance for cases where people wanted to take a test.

The updated CDC guidance doesn’t state that isolated people have to test negative before emerging from isolation, but states that if people want to take a test, “the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period.”