COVID-19 protocols have simplified significantly since the pandemic’s early years. The CDC now treats COVID under a unified set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses, including flu and RSV. The core rule: stay home until your symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours and you’ve been fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours, then take extra precautions for five more days.
When to Stay Home and When to Return
If you develop symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, or headache, stay home and away from others, including household members who aren’t sick. You can return to normal activities once two things have been true for at least 24 hours: your symptoms are getting better overall, and you haven’t had a fever without using fever-reducing medication.
After you return to your routine, the CDC recommends five additional days of added precautions. That means wearing a well-fitting mask around others indoors, improving ventilation when possible, keeping your distance, and practicing good hand hygiene. If you develop a new fever or your symptoms worsen after resuming activities, go back home and restart the clock: another 24 hours of improvement and no fever before heading out again, followed by another five days of precautions.
If you test positive but never develop symptoms, you’re still considered potentially contagious. The guidance is to take those same added precautions for five days from the date of your positive test.
Testing: When and How
If you have symptoms, test right away with an at-home rapid test. A negative result doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear, so test again following the kit’s instructions (typically 48 hours later) if symptoms persist.
If you were exposed to someone with COVID but feel fine, wait at least five full days after the exposure before testing. Testing too early often produces a false negative because the virus hasn’t replicated enough to detect.
Many at-home test kits have had their expiration dates extended by the FDA. If you have older kits in your medicine cabinet, check the FDA’s online table by searching for your test’s brand name. You may find the kit is still valid well past the printed date.
Masking Recommendations
Masks are no longer broadly mandated in most settings, but the CDC still recommends them in specific situations: when respiratory viruses are circulating heavily in your community, when you’ve recently been exposed or are recovering from an illness, or when you spend time around people at higher risk for severe disease. A well-fitting mask (N95 or KN95) offers the strongest protection in crowded indoor spaces during surges.
Who Qualifies for Antiviral Treatment
Antiviral treatment for COVID is available for people ages 12 and older (weighing at least 88 pounds) who have mild to moderate symptoms and at least one risk factor for severe illness. Risk factors include conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, chronic lung disease, immunosuppression, and being 65 or older. The key constraint is timing: antivirals work best when started within the first five days of symptoms, so contact a healthcare provider quickly if you think you qualify.
You don’t need to be hospitalized to get treatment. In fact, the medication is specifically for people who aren’t sick enough to need hospitalization but are at risk of getting there. Early treatment also appears to lower the risk of developing long COVID.
Current Vaccine Guidance
The 2025–2026 COVID vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older, with the CDC framing it as an individual decision made with your healthcare provider. The emphasis is strongest for people at increased risk of severe illness, but anyone can choose to get vaccinated.
For most people ages 2 through 64, the schedule is straightforward: one dose of the updated vaccine, given at least eight weeks after your last COVID shot. If you’ve never been vaccinated, it’s still just one dose for anyone age 2 and up.
Adults 65 and older are recommended to receive two doses of the updated vaccine, spaced about six months apart, because immune response tends to wane faster with age. The youngest children, ages 6 through 23 months, also need two doses if they haven’t been previously vaccinated, spaced four to eight weeks apart.
You can self-report your risk factors when getting vaccinated. No documentation is required, and vaccine providers are instructed not to turn anyone away for lack of medical records.
Workplace and School Policies
Most workplaces and schools now follow the same CDC framework described above: stay home while symptomatic, return after 24 hours of improvement and no fever, and take precautions for five days. Specific policies vary by employer and school district, so check with yours for any additional requirements.
Employers are still required by OSHA to record confirmed work-related COVID cases on their injury and illness logs when those cases meet standard recording criteria, such as requiring medical treatment or time away from work. COVID-related hospitalizations and fatalities must also be reported to OSHA.
Reducing the Risk of Long COVID
Long COVID, where symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, or shortness of breath persist for weeks or months, remains a concern even after mild infections. The CDC’s primary advice for prevention is straightforward: stay up to date on vaccination, and if you’re at higher risk for severe illness, seek testing and treatment early. Getting antivirals promptly when eligible is one of the clearest steps you can take to reduce the chance of lingering symptoms. Beyond that, the standard precautions of masking during surges, improving indoor air quality, and isolating when sick all reduce your chances of infection in the first place.