Is a 14-day quarantine no longer needed if you come in contact with a COVID-19 positive person? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now changed their guidelines.

The CDC has trimmed the quarantine recommendations from 14 days to seven to 10 days after exposure.

Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the CDC, informed the White House’s coronavirus task force of the plan on Tuesday.

"Remember when the 14-day quarantine was set up, it was very early in the pandemic when we had less information,” says Michael Osterholm, a member of the Biden COVID-19 advisory board. Officials described the decision as date-driven and said it has been under review for weeks.

Health officials have said most people are infectious within a week of exposure.

"If one is following someone for seven days versus 14, and particularly if you have a negative test, that likely is going to have a much more positive impact than people who say 'I can't do 14 days,’" says Osterholm. Despite news that the vaccine is near approval, in the United States health officials stress that people still need to wear masks, wash their hands and keep social distance.

"People just want to be done with this, but it doesn't take a break, just because we're tired of it," says Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Department of Health and Human Services Agency.