After quietly changing its guidance regarding how the coronavirus is transmitted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention apologize once again and said that the new guidance had been posted in error.
The new guidance, uploaded to the CDC’s website on Friday, stated that small airborne transmissions of COVID-19 were “thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
This contradicted previous guidance from the CDC that stated the coronavirus is transmitted through large droplets spread among people in close proximity to each other.
“There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes),” the agency said in its update, according to CNN. “In general, indoor environments without good ventilation increase this risk.”
After this new guidance was discovered, the CDC removed it and said it was a mistake.
“A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website,” the CDC said on Monday. “CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).”
The guidance no longer says COVID-19 can be spread through the air, and the agency said it will update the language once its review process “has been completed.”
This is not the first time the CDC has backtracked after quietly changing its guidance.
Earlier this month, the agency changed its website to say that people who have been exposed to the coronavirus but are not showing symptoms should not be tested.
After facing backlash, the CDC reversed course and said that all persons who have been exposed to the virus, regardless of whether they are symptomatic, should be tested.
