CDC Guidance Changes How 'Exposure' To COVID-19 Is Calculated

The CDC used to define exposure to COVID-19 as being within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 consecutive minutes.

But according to Business Insider, a new study shows a correctional officer got sick after a series of very brief interactions with inmates who later tested positive.

That's led the CDC to change its guidance to say that more than 15 minutes of cumulative exposure to someone with COVID-19 puts you at risk.

The new guideline informs how health agencies conduct contact tracing.

It now stipulates that anyone who has been within 6 feet of an infected person 'for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period,' should quarantine.

And it's cumulative exposure that matters — not continuous time.

So spending five minutes each with three infected persons produces a fifteen-minute exposure.