TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced new guidance for Florida on COVID-19, including discouraging masks in a corporate setting and reducing isolation times for people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the guidance released Thursday, businesses are advised to no longer require employees to wear a mask while at work. The Florida Department of Health’s recommendations indicated that the reasoning behind the recommendation is “there is not strong evidence that masks reduce the transmission of respiratory illness.”

The guidance also indicates “there is no proven significant clinical benefit for facial coverings among the general population” and says children in daycare should not be forced to wear a mask.

By contrast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission to try to maximize prevention and possibly prevent spreading COVID-19 to others. Overall, the state of Florida is considered to be a high transmission area because of its COVID positivity rate.

The guidance specifically states it does not preclude properly trained individuals, for example, nurses and doctors, from using personal protective equipment when required by an employer.

The FDOH also calls for a reduction in isolation times for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone infected with COVID. Under its new guidance, all people who test positive, whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic, should stay home and away from others for five days. The day count starts from the day symptoms started for the symptomatic. This rule applies to students at schools and children in daycare, too.

Individuals who are exposed to people who test positive should stay home if they develop COVID symptoms but do not need to stay home if they do not have symptoms but continue to monitor themselves for symptoms for 10 days. Exposure is defined as being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID for 15 minutes within 24 hours.

The main difference in isolation policy from the CDC’s is the federal agency recommends wearing a mask around others for 10 days after testing positive or being exposed to someone who did and to avoid being around others who are at high risk for 10 days.

The other guidance issued Thursday addresses treatments for COVID-19. The FDOH recommendations indicate “practitioners will have the flexibility to make the decision to treat patients with off-label prescriptions if they determine that it may help the patient and it is something the patient would like to try and provides informed consent to try.”

The guidance does not specify the types of treatments it is referencing, but the FDOH did publish a bulletin that specifically references some monoclonal antibody treatments.