The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed language from its guidance this week referencing a three-month limit to fully vaccinated people being able to skip quarantine after a coronavirus exposure.
Previously, the agency said on its website that fully vaccinated people could skip quarantine after a Covid-19 exposure if they were within three months of their final vaccine dose. They must also remain asymptomatic.
Fully vaccinated means at least two weeks have passed since receiving a final dose of Covid-19 vaccine, whether that is two shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
CNN has reached out to the agency for comment.
CDC announced its first iteration of these guidelines a month ago. At the time, a spokesperson told CNN that the guidance mirrored what the agency had recommended last year for people who had become infected with Covid-19 in the last 90 days. She noted the agency wasn't suggesting vaccines were expected to wear off after 90 days, and that the CDC was continuing to evaluate that timeline as it got more information.
On its website, CDC notes that guidance for fully vaccinated people "will be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of SARS-CoV-2, the proportion of the population that is fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science on COVID-19 vaccines.”
The quarantine exemption does not apply to people who live in "non-healthcare congregate settings” such as prisons or group homes, even if they are vaccinated.