Tell your state's officials and the CDC to maintain or lengthen their current isolation policy and to not adopt Oregon and California's dangerous and discriminatory policies!

California's recent COVID-19 isolation policy change, which allows asymptomatic people to not isolate at all and symptomatic people to isolate only until fever-free for 24 hours and their symptoms are improving, is actually based on Oregon's bad isolation policy that the state put in place last May. Now, Oregon says that they have met with six other states and the CDC to promote their isolation policy, and that they will meet with Washington state at the end of January. These policies are dangerous, anti-science, anti-public health, and discriminatory. Despite California's and Oregon's claims, COVID-19 continues to strongly impact people, and there is no lasting immunity. Most people remain infectious with COVID-19 for more than five days, and an isolation period longer than five days, not significantly less as CA and OR have done, is scientifically needed. California has changed the definition of "infectious period" for asymptomatic people to "there is no infectious period for the purpose of isolation or exclusion," although asymptomatic people are also infectious, and reduced the isolation period for symptomatic cases, which reduces state employee protections. Using a symptoms-based approach does not work with a virus like COVID-19 where it's known to have a large number of people who are asymptomatic yet infectious. Disabled people, people of color, older individuals, and everyone who is high-risk have an equal right to access public spaces without an increased risk of severe outcomes. This policy will also lead to far increased rates of Long COVID. Oregon and California are currently shirking their responsibility to public health and equal rights under the law; tell your state that you expect they not do the same. This letter will allow you to write specifically to the officials in your state, as well as to officials at the CDC. Additionally, you can also use this link to write to California's officials and this link to write to Oregon's officials asking them to remove their harmful policies and reinstate a longer isolation policy.