The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people with no symptoms of the coronaviruses should be isolated for five days.
Adams, who was a member of the White House coronaviruses task force under Donald Trump, said that people should take a test to see if they have the coronaviruses.
The former surgeon general said that people who work at the CDC would be reluctant to follow the new guidelines.
I love the CDC. Grew up wanting to work there and have been one of their most ardent defenders. When I would advise people not to follow their guidance, I never imagined it would happen. Breaks by heart," he said.
Ask any of them. They wouldn't follow it for their family.
The CDC cut its recommended isolation time for people who test positive for the coronaviruses from 10 days to five days.
The agency said that the new guidelines were driven by science that showed that the majority of the virus transmission takes place earlier in the infection period.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the CDC changed their guidelines because of the number of new cases fueled by the Omicron variant, and also because of the need to keep the economy from faltering.
One of the things we want to be careful of is that we don't have so many people out because of the sheer volume of new cases that we are having. "If you are positive for a disease, we want to get you back to work so we can keep our society running smoothly."
Fauci said that the changes had been under consideration for some time and that the new guidelines were very prudent at this point.
Adams stressed the importance of testing while pushing back against the agency's changes.
You should try to get a test for the disease regardless of what the CDC says, and confirm it's negative before you leave isolation. There's not a scientist or doctor I've met who wouldn't do this for their family.
Many who are defending/championing this policy on TV have told me privately if it were their family/workplace, they would want a 'test out' of isolation policy. This isn't about the best science, it's a compromise to keep the economy open.
The Trump administration was criticized for putting economic needs before safety. Trump officials overruled the CDC's recommendation to extend the cruise ship ban, and altered reports on the coronaviruses to better align with the president's views.
With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronaviruses, Americans have been lining up across the country to secure free tests and have been scouting convenience stores for kits that are suddenly in short supply, an issue that President Joe Biden has committed to tackling in the ensuing weeks.
Adams told News Channel 8 that he was concerned about the message that the CDC's decision sends to the general public.
I'm worried that they're saying that people who have been isolated for five days can end their isolation. Most of America will hear that isolation is done for everyone. If you wear a mask, you should be wearing a mask around everyone else for the second five days because the guidance says you should be wearing a mask.
"We haven't had a great mask compliance thus far, so I don't have a lot of confidence that people are going to wear a mask after they end isolation," he said.
The coronaviruses has killed more than 802,000 people in the US as of December 29th, with more than 50 million confirmed cases.
