The federal health authorities marked the next chapter of the pandemic yesterday by significantly loosening many COVID-19 recommendations – including dropping the 'six-foot' social distancing rule – thereby lightening employers’ burden to manage the virus.

While the CDC’s August 11 announcement of revised guidelines comes as a welcome step in the years-long battle against the novel coronavirus, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to drop your guard and pretend that COVID-19 is gone completely.

Here are the 10 top questions you should be asking now, along with practical answers to help you navigate this next phase.

1/ Why did the CDC loosen its COVID-19 recommendations?

“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” CDC epidemiologist Greta Massetti said yesterday in a news briefing accompanying the release of the revised guidance.

Rather than attacking the virus in every possible situation, the new guidance reflects the fact that a combination of vaccinations and therapeutics have curbed severe illness and death from COVID-19, and emphasis should now be placed on protecting high-risk individuals.

2/ What is the practical impact of the revisions?

Essentially the CDC is putting most of the burden on avoiding and dealing with COVID-19 on individuals instead of employers and businesses.

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