In a widely panned move that breaks with the recommendations of other health agencies worldwide, the CDC has revised its guidelines for isolation and quarantine periods.
A statement released yesterday reads: “CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.” Isolation applies to those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
That brings us to the memes.
“Great news! CDC just confirmed she’s good to pilot the Eva again,” shares @MalwareDare over an image of Rei Ayanami in episode 1 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Brutal.
Meanwhile, Marvel fans had their own fun with this one: “The CDC says what is grief if not love persevering…”
Seemingly every fandom had its own interpretation of what the new guidelines mean for their respective worlds. Zombies? “The CDC announced that i don’t have to tell anyone else in the group that a zombie bit me a few miles back,” apparently.
I don’t know if there’s a classics fandom per se, but this joke at the expense of Orpheus was too good to ignore.
Even pop-punk fans got in on the joke.
People have been posting sarcastic tweets all day, such as this one that I do wish was true.
The health agency also updated quarantine guidelines, which apply to individuals exposed to COVID-19 but not necessarily positive.
“CDC now recommends quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days for people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than two months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted.”
Under the revised recommendations, boosted individuals do not need to quarantine if asymptomatic but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.