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Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Health issued updated COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidance, which effectively replaces the guidance from May 31, 2022. According to the September 14 guidance, the NYSDOH will now follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines on quarantine and isolation. Perhaps most significantly, under the CDC guidance, asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID-19 need not quarantine regardless of vaccination status. Instead, those exposed to COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and be tested on day 5. Those who test positive should isolate per the isolation rules listed below. The NYSDOH’s adoption of the CDC’s guidance discontinues its prior approach of establishing different quarantine periods for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Notably, the CDC’s guidance also states that screening asymptomatic individuals without known exposure to COVID-19 will no longer be recommended in most community settings. The requirement that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate has not changed under the current guidance. Individuals who test positive are now directed to follow the CDC’s isolation precautions. The NYSDOH’s Isolation webpage directs visitors to the CDC’s Aug. 11, 2022 isolation guidance. –Bond, Schoeneck & King