CDC Expands Definition of Close Contact

Client Alert

October 2020

By: Jeffrey A. Dinkin, Jared W. Speier

Shareholder Jeff Dinkin and associate Jared Speier authored the client alert, "CDC Expands Definition of Close Contact." Last week the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) expanded the definition of “close contact.” Previously, the CDC defined close contact as spending 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of a person with a confirmed coronavirus case starting 2 days before the illness onset, or for asymptomatic persons, starting 2 days prior to the positive specimen collection. The updated guidance now defines a close contact as spending 15 minutes total with an infected individual over the course of a 24 hour period during the same exposure period (2 days prior to illness onset or positive specimen collection). For instance, if a person has three five minute encounters with someone over the course of 24 hours, then they will be considered to have been in close contact with that person.

Read the full client alert below.