jim, thank you. . welcome to cnn tionight, i am michael smerconish, merry christmas to all. although it does not feel like christmas. we are a step away from covid. new guidance on the cdc on how long those infected should stay isolated, not just healthcare workers, it s a big change so stay tuned for that. what a way to close out 2021 with an omicron bang. that brings me to our survey question tonight, which year do you think history will judge worse, 2020 or 2021? it s really a toss up for many of us, right? let us know your vote by going to my website, it s smer smerconish.com, we ll share the results later in the program. what will 2022 bring? can we collectively look to the new year as a nation without unity on immunity and with this virus testing us so much again, testing is still such a huge problem with the latest variant crashing down on us, something that president biden conceded on his call with governors earlier today. seeing how tough it was for some fol
i m laura coates in for don lemon. omicron is surging across this country. the u.s. is now averaging more than 200,000 new covid cases every single day. that s the highest number since january. that as there is big news tonight for anyone who has tested positive for covid. the cdc announced shortening the recommended time you should isolate if you test positive but don t have symptoms. cutting that period of isolation now from ten days to now five days. but you should still wear a mask around others for at least five more days. tonight, dr. fauci is saying the new guidelines are a good idea to get people back to work and keep our society running smoothly. it just makes sense if you keep them out for five days, keep them ice solated for five s and get them back doing their work, keeping a mask on protecting themselves from infecting other individuals. people across the country lining up and sometimes for hours just trying to get covid tests. president joe biden admits the