The significant change in active cases comes as a result of an update to the state’s reporting practices, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said.
In line with new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Piercey said the period of time in which a person is considered to have an active case of coronavirus will be reduced from 21 to 14 days.
“This stems from an update time frame of how long a person is considered infectious,” Piercey said in a Sept. 3 press briefing.
Piercey said this update does not change any quarantine or isolation protocols.
Piercey said the state will also begin defining close contact as 15 minutes of exposure, up from 10 minutes, in line with CDC updates. This change may also help reduce the number of people required to quarantine after coming in contact with an individual with an active case.