Lowndes County quarantine now shorter after new CDC guidance

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – County employees in Lowndes County won’t have to miss as much work if they are exposed to COVID.

Supervisors vote today to bring county policy in line with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the changes, if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 and has no symptoms, then they only have to quarantine for 5 days. When they return to work, they must wear a mask for 5 days.

If an employee has a COVID exposure and has no symptoms, they no longer have to quarantine. Instead, they will have to wear a mask for 10 days, and take a COVID test after 5 days if possible.

Employees can quarantine longer if it’s deemed necessary by a doctor.

“If a doctor feels like somebody is symptomatic; they feel like that they should be quarantined longer than 5 days, then we want to take that doctor’s recommendation. So, we would need documentation that they recommend somebody quarantine longer than the 5 days,” said Trip Hairston, President of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.

Masking for visitors is optional in County-owned buildings