In the future, the prescribed isolation for people infected with corona can usually end after five days – with a “strongly recommended” negative test at the end. These are new guidelines that the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) should publish on Monday, according to Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach.
The SPD politician reiterated that the isolation should continue to be ordered by the health authorities. So far, the secretions have usually lasted ten days and can end with a negative test seven days beforehand. The concrete implementation according to the recommendation of the RKI and the Federal Ministry is up to the federal states.
Overall, Lauterbach spoke of a “solution with a sense of proportion”. On the basis of shorter disease courses of the current Omicron variant BA.2, the isolation can be reduced to five days. The further planned order by the health authorities gives the signal that Corona is not a flu or a cold. If someone approaches people infected, “then they are actually endangering their lives”. At the beginning of April, Lauterbach took back an initially announced end of mandatory isolation.
The minister made it clear that most countries should now implement this line. Several have already announced new regulations. He explained that the urgently recommended final free test can be carried out with a rapid antigen test or a PCR laboratory test. If those infected could not test negatively, the ordered isolation would of course continue beyond the fifth day. This also applies if you still have signs of illness on the fifth day. For healthcare workers, final free tests should be mandatory and not just urgently recommended.
The German Foundation for Patient Protection criticized the regulations. “There must not be a free test for medical and nursing staff through citizen tests,” said board member Eugen Brysch of the German Press Agency. Millions of people in the vulnerable group, who usually live at home, need protection and security. “They may only be cared for by non-infectious people. A quick test cannot guarantee that.
The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Andreas Gassen, spoke out in favor of further easing. After five days of isolation, people should be able to go back to work without additional free testing – “also in nursing homes and clinics,” he told the “Rheinische Post” (Tuesday). (dpa)
Source: Tagesspiegel
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
