CDC redefines COVID-19 close contact, adds brief encounters

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are redefining what it means to have close contact with someone with COVID-19.

For months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said close contact meant spending a solid 15 minutes within 6 feet of someone who tested positive for coronavirus. On Wednesday, the CDC changed it to a total of 15 minutes or more, so briefer but repeated contacts that add up to 15 minutes now count. Anyone who has been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient is advised to quarantine for two weeks.

The CDC made the change because of a study in a Vermont prison.