Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Thursday lent his support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new isolation guidelines for asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19.
The CDC now recommends that anyone who has contracted COVID-19, but is asymptomatic, remain isolated for five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask while around others.
"The reason is that now that we have such an overwhelming volume of cases coming in, many of which are without symptoms, there's the danger that this is going to have a really negative impact on our ability to really get society to function properly," Fauci told NewsNation's "Morning in America" in an interview.
"The CDC made a decision to balance what's good for public health at the same time as keeping the society running," he added, going on to say the CDC "thought it out well," and admitting that it's not "100% risk-free."
Fauci emphasized the importance of wearing a mask around others even after leaving isolation.
"Let them go out with a mask being careful so that they can fulfill their job in society to keep society going smoothly," he said.
Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams came out against the CDC's change earlier this week, saying that anyone who has contracted COVID-19 should obtain a negative test for the virus before they exit isolation.
"I love the CDC. Grew up wanting to work there and have been one of their most ardent defenders. I never dreamed the day would come when I would advise people NOT to follow their guidance," Adams wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. "They wouldn't even follow it for their own family."