'The nation’s top public health agency on Thursday relaxed its Covid-19 guidelines, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6ft (about 2 metres) away from others.

The changes are driven by a recognition that more than two and a half years since the start of the pandemic an estimated 95% of Americans ages 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.'