The CDC has relaxed its COVID guidelines. What does that mean for ‘high risk’ Miami?

The CDC this week relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines. Does that affect “high risk” South Florida?

Do you still have to isolate if exposed to someone with COVID-19? Can you ditch the mask forever? Is social distancing still a thing?

First, let’s understand what the CDC said.

New CDC guidelines

The CDC dropped its recommendation that Americans go into quarantine if they come into close contact with an infected person.

The CDC also revamped its prevention suggestions by saying people no longer need to stay at least six feet away from others, thus “freeing schools and businesses from the onus of requiring unvaccinated people exposed to the virus to quarantine at home.,” The New York Times reported.

The CDC also updated COVID-19 protocols in schools by eliminating a recommendation for test-to-stay after potential exposure, NPR reported.

The CDC cited the number of people who are vaccinated as one reason for relaxing the guidelines, but did not say the pandemic was over.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 9, more than 14,592,000 people were fully vaccinated in Florida. The state has logged at least 6,884,224 cases and 78,251 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020, the Miami Herald reported.

But the CDC also said people who live in an area of a high level of transmission should still take the familiar precautions: wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, and if you are immunocompromised or at a high risk for severe disease, continue to wear a mask and avoid “nonessential” indoor activities in public.

READ MORE: COVID rules are more relaxed. What you need to know about the new CDC guidelines

What does this ruling mean in Florida?

Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Manatee and Monroe remain at a high COVID-19 risk level, according to the CDC.

But the new guidelines that suggest following the old guidelines in high transmission level counties are basically in name only.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration have long been against tight restrictions on people, businesses and schools.

The CDC’s focus is now on individuals “making their own decisions about their level of risk and how they want to mitigate that risk,” Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told NPR.

“That is consistent with where we are in the pandemic right now,” Plescia said. “I don’t really think there are many state or local jurisdictions that are feeling they’re going to need to start making mandates.”

Hospitals and other healthcare places like nursing facilities that treat or house at-risk individuals, like the elderly or immunocompromised, may still enforce their masking rules or limit access to some areas.

Schools, under the new guidance, may ask their exposed students to mask up rather than quarantine, NPR reported.

Basically, most places in South Florida will operate as they did pre-pandemic. For example, how many people wearing masks did you observe the last time you ate out at a popular restaurant or bar?