On 12/23/2021, the CDC updated its guidance on isolation of healthcare workers, which reduces the time away from work for infected healthcare workers to five or fewer days based upon the circumstances.
Given the very high case counts during the current COVID-19 surge in New York, the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) expects a large number of mild or asymptomatic cases in fully vaccinated persons. Given the extremely high vaccination rate among NYS healthcare workers and the high rate in the population as a whole, the NYSDOH has issued guidance applying to fully vaccinated staff.
In limited circumstances where there is a critical staffing shortage, employers may allow a person to return to work after day 5 of their isolation period (where day zero is defined as either date of symptom onset if symptomatic, or date of collection of first positive test if asymptomatic) if they meet all criteria.
View NYSDOH Guidance