Local doctors, health departments and the state of California said Wednesday they won't be following new COVID-19 testing guidelines announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The federal agency said people who are directly exposed to known COVID-19 patients but show no symptoms do not need to be tested.
Reaction in Santa Clara County was swift.
"I actually didn't believe it for it seemed entirely bizarre in that it undercuts our very basic tenets of how we control an infectious disease," Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said.
Cody also criticized CDC advice that someone with symptoms might want to get a test, saying there should be no maybe.
"Our local guidance and our order is quite clear, that anyone with any symptoms of COVID should be tested right away," she said.
Amid speculation the CDC's decision was due to pressure from the White House, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made his stance clear.
"I don't agree with the new CDC guidance, period, full stop," he said. "And it's not the policy in the state of California. We will not be influenced by that change."
Newsom, along with other state leaders, went on to criticize the CDC, saying California's coronavirus response will be led by those who are experts in the field, not politicians.
