The CDC used to define exposure to COVID-19 as being within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 consecutive minutes.<br />But according to Business Insider, a new study shows a correctional officer got sick after a series of very brief interactions with inmates who later tested positive.<br />That's led the CDC to change its guidance to say that more than 15 minutes of cumulative exposure to someone with COVID-19 puts you at risk.<br />The new guideline informs how health agencies conduct contact tracing.<br />It now stipulates that anyone who has been within 6 feet of an infected person 'for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period,' should quarantine.<br />And it's cumulative exposure that matters — not continuous time. So spending five minutes each with three infected persons produces a fifteen-minute exposure.
