The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reduced isolation time for asymptomatic people who have contracted the COVID-19 virus from 10 days to five.  

Those infected are encouraged to wear a mask for five days until their isolation is over. The CDC also said people who have received booster shots should wear masks for 10 days, however, no isolation is needed.  

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The move is also on par with abbreviating the time frame of close contacts in isolation.  

The research discovered by CDC officials indicates people with the COVID-19 virus are more infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.  

The CDC decided the new isolation reduction time was needed due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and the fast spread of the omicron variant.   

According to the CDC, omicron causes milder symptoms than other COVID-19 variants. This more transmissible variant has caused experts to show great concern about hospitals, airlines and other businesses being able to handle the surge.  

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases.  

“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic,” she told the Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”  

COVID-19 cases have run rampant through sports leagues, including the NFL, NHL, NBA and college football during its money-making bowl season.  

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According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, 106 NFL players went on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. All of the players tested positive, including 96 positive tests, another record high for the league.  

Four college football games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.  

• Boise State Broncos will not compete against the Central Michigan Chippewas in the Arizona Bowl scheduled for Friday in Tucson, Arizona  
• The Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland between Boston College and East Carolina University was canceled because Boston College did not have enough players 
• The Fenway Bowl in Boston between the University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University  
• The Christmas Eve Hawaii Bowl between the University of Hawaii and the University of Memphis was canceled  

Due to the outbreak, New York physician Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said when people contract the virus, the spread rate drastically drops. 

“If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.