Fear of infrastructure collapse – These countries are shortening quarantine because of Omikron

The number of new infections has been increasing rapidly in almost all of Europe for weeks – in some cases despite a very high vaccination rate. This means that the number of quarantine cases is increasing. Millions of people are currently absent from their jobs, public life – from the health service to the police, fire brigade or public transport – is threatened with complete collapse.

Should the quarantine time be shortened? This is the question asked by the scientific communityn Advisory councils to several governments. With the knowledge that the new virus variant Omikron is more contagious, but apparently has a rather mild course of the diseasen some have already made a decision. Others are still debating. An overview:

I.n Spain was a shortened corona isolation after infection since Wednesday a done deal. In the case of a corona infection without symptoms, the prescribed isolation period is shortened from ten to seven days. The shortening also applies to people who have not been vaccinated and who have not yet confirmed suspicion of corona infection, for example to the contact persons of an infected person. Vaccinated people who have had contact with an infected person do not have to isolate themselves in Spain.

The US health authority CDC decided on Monday to change the recommended length of isolation after a corona infection from ten to five days To shorten. The reason is scientific evidence that most infections occur early in the course of the disease – usually in the one to two days before the onset of symptoms and in the two to three days after, according to the CDC.

Israel relaxed the quarantine rules for vaccinated people on Tuesday, a month after the omicron variant was discovered in its own country. Anyone who has been fully vaccinated against Corona and comes into contact with an infected person only has to be in quarantine until a negative test result can be presented. In addition, those affected would have to avoid places with many people and contact with particularly vulnerable people for ten days.

So far, a quarantine of at least seven days was mandatory for all people. In future, this will only apply to those who have not been vaccinated. Fully vaccinated in Israel is anyone who has received their second vaccination or the booster vaccination in the past six months.

The Argentine Ministry of Health decided on Wednesday to reduce the number of isolation days for fully vaccinated people to seven days. Unvaccinated people, on the other hand, have to quarantine for ten days.

Anyone who has had contact with an infected person and is vaccinated themselves only needs to be in isolation for five days. In this case, too, unvaccinated persons have to remain in isolation for ten days – or seven days if a PCR test then turns out negative.

Italy is one of the countries that have not yet made a decision about a possible quarantine. Nevertheless, Corona experts want the situation of the triple vaccinated baldlmake it easier. They currently have to complete a quarantine of seven days, and isolation could take three to five days for them.

For Nino Cartabellotta from the Gimbe Foundation, the case is clear: «Each positive may have had an average of ten or 15 close contacts». People who have already received the booster have a low risk of infection, as he tells the ANSA news agency. The Italian government is unlikely to make the decision on the shortened isolation period until after the New Year holidays.

The German Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach is also apparently looking to shorten the quarantine period for contact with infected people. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) currently recommends that those infected and their contact persons isolate themselves or quarantine themselves for 14 days if they are infected with the Omikron variant. This also includes those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. At Lauterbach’s request, the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council is now adjusting the quarantine duration.