Help me understand the current CDC guidelines

[skimomma]

I can read and consider myself of at least average intelligence, but I am struggling to understand the CDC Covid guidelines.

Say someone in your household tested positive for Covid.  And this person isolated from all other household members within the house.  No one else in the house has symptoms.  I understand that the quarantine clock starts for the other members of the household when isolation began.  After that, the guidelines get fuzzy.

If no one develops symptoms, they are to quarantine for 10 days.  No test needed.  That seems clear.  

If anyone develops symptoms, the clock resets.  Also seems clear.

This is the part that confuses me.  The CDC also says that if the exposed people display no symptoms AND test negative at least 5 days after the last exposure, they can end their quarantine after 7 days.  Am I understanding that correctly?  If one can get the testing stars to align just right, the quarantine period can be shortened to 7 days?

[busymama7]

1 minute ago, skimomma said:

I can read and consider myself of at least average intelligence, but I am struggling to understand the CDC Covid guidelines.

Say someone in your household tested positive for Covid.  And this person isolated from all other household members within the house.  No one else in the house has symptoms.  I understand that the quarantine clock starts for the other members of the household when isolation began.  After that, the guidelines get fuzzy.

If no one develops symptoms, they are to quarantine for 10 days.  No test needed.  That seems clear.  

If anyone develops symptoms, the clock resets.  Also seems clear.

This is the part that confuses me.  The CDC also says that if the exposed people display no symptoms AND test negative at least 5 days after the last exposure, they can end their quarantine after 7 days.  Am I understanding that correctly?  If one can get the testing stars to align just right, the quarantine period can be shortened to 7 days?

7 days as long as no other contact the positive case, yes.  And I am not sure if the guidelines say this but we were told it needs to be a PCR test.  

[Storygirl]

I know your question is about the CDC guidelines, but check with your local health department. Ours has guidelines that are stricter. When the CDC dropped quarantine time from 14 days to 10 days, our local area still required 14 days.