CDC Blasted After Shortening Quarantine Time at Delta Airlines' Request
Late on Monday, the CDC made a major announcement regarding their COVID quarantine recommendations, with many Americans at first finding themselves pleased.
You see, the usually-cautious organization was actually taking a turn in the other direction, adjusting the recommended quarantine time for folks who test positive for COVID down to 5 days from 10. This stark shift would allow many Americans to get back to work quicker after having a ‘rona scare, so long as they didn’t develop symptoms.
U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
Advertisement - story continues belowCenters for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.
The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.
Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine — threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.
But then came a startling realization: This was all Delta’s idea.
Delta CEO asks CDC to shorten the recommended COVID quarantine: "the 10-day isolation for those who are fully vaccinated may significantly impact our workforce and operations"
the next week, CDC shortened guidance to 5 days.
10 days is still the guidance in Canada, Europe + UK pic.twitter.com/GUSbc6gZxq
— Tori Bedford (@Tori_Bedford) December 28, 2021
This has led to some serious and immediate backlash online, where ordinary citizens were able to peek into the true machinations of our medical-governmental complex.
For example, every media outlet should include that Delta CEO Ed Bastain asked the CDC to reduce the recommended quarantine time from 10 days to 5 for vaccinated people because of workforce impact. That’s not a health decision. The media needs to frame it that way every time.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) December 28, 2021
So we find out that Delta CEO Ed Bastain asked the CDC to reduce the recommended quarantine time from 10 days to 5 for vaccinated people because of workforce impact. This change has nothing to do with the virus or your health & everything to do with the profits of corporations.
— Russell Foster A New Texas (@RussellFosterTX) December 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/arabbitorduck/status/1475661306644545540?s=20
If you're wondering which scientist the CDC is basing their decision to halve the quarantine time from 10 to 5 days on, it's…
Delta CEO Ed Bastian.https://t.co/KBxZReNbwc
— Jesse Jae Hoon 🌹 (@JesseJaeHoon) December 27, 2021
One has to wonder if this anti-Delta, anti-corporate backlash has yet to peak?