Opinion | Covid isn’t over, and we shouldn’t act like it is

Regarding the Feb. 15 news article “CDC plans to drop five-day covid isolation guidelines”:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s potential loosening of coronavirus isolation guidelines is a reckless, anti-public health policy that goes against science, encourages disease spread and puts everyone at greater risk. The bare minimum we should have learned from a devastating pandemic that has killed and disabled millions is that we should stay home when we are sick. Yet, inexplicably, by caving in to corporate interests, governments are encouraging people to not even do the bare minimum.

The truth is that covid is still killing and disabling way too many people, and too many people are locked out of society and can’t even access medical care safely because of high levels of covid transmission. We still need science-based isolation guidance, and we need better public health protections. For some, there are understandable financial reasons they can’t take time off work for an extended period. But instead of weakening isolation guidance for everyone, governments can more effectively reduce harm by pushing for increased structural supports that reduce virus spread, such as free N95 masks and more paid sick leave and clean-air infrastructure.

The pandemic isn’t over, and covid isn’t over. The coronavirus might look different than in 2020, but it is still harming many people, and we need to make long-term adjustments to make society healthier and accessible to everyone.

Lucky Tran, New York

The writer is a public health advocate and science communicator at Columbia University.