Close contact redefined

County tonight.

The centers for disease control and prevention now says covid-19 can be passed through brief interactions with people.

For months -- the c-d-c defined a close contact as 15 minutes of continuous exposure to an infected person.

But now*briefer but*repeated contact that adds up to 15 minutes --*count.

Kezi 9 news reporter jillian smukler joins us live to explain how this will impact us here at home -- jillian?

Matt -- renee -- with health officials*redefining what it means to have close contact with someone who has the virus -- workplaces and schools are going to have to think twice about the way they're doing things.

Doctor patrick luedtke says -- on the ground -- there will be no major changes.

But for places where people are close together for long periods of time -- they're going to have to adjust.

Lane county public health says the best thing we can do to reduce the impact on our community -- is to reduce the number of cases we have -- and the number of people who are exposed and have to quarantine afterwards.

Doctor patrick luedtke says -- these new recommendations will increase the number of cases we see and it'll create more of a burden for*tracking.

They will need to consider can we do everything at once and keep it under 15 mins?

And if they can't sometimes with education you have to check in several times too right?

So they'll need to be willing to retract that time and that will make it a little more challenging or of course they could alternate it and then no one will add up to fifteen" he says the vast majority of transmission is through large droplets -- but there still is a small percentage of transmission through aerosol or tiny droplets.

So -- he says that's what this new change is honing in on.

They think a fifteen minute total counts because there is a risk of getting it --- since those droplets stay in the air for a while.

So -- keep this in mind when you're making plans to celebrate halloween -- or considering traveling.

Because if you're with people for 15 minutes or*more -- you're condsidered a close contact.

And anyone who is exposed -- is advised to quarantine for two weeks.

Reporting live in eugene