Quarantine period shortened by health department

For close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, some welcome relief. The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is relaxing its requirements by shortening the mandatory quarantine length. Instead of two weeks, the new guidelines say ten days will be appropriate a majority of the time. Symptoms still need to be monitored carefully through day 14 though.

The department cites a drop in cases overall, only Baraga County is above its recent average throughout the district. Vaccination rates are now over 50 percent for the first dose and that is a factor as well. The decision, announced Friday, is retroactive for all current cases.

The new quarantine period remains consistent with recommendations from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The full press release is below.