The Czech government will allow essential health workers who are asymptomatic and test positive for Covid-19 to continue working, the health minister said on Friday.
The decision taken by the Czech Republic is yet another loosening of restrictions in Europe, where countries are looking for ways to keep essential services running while the Ômicron variant increases the number of cases of the disease.
Health Minister Vlastimil Valek told reporters the government hoped to manage the wave of infections with the new variant, which has already taken the number of new daily cases in the country to more than 10,000 in recent days.
Those who are required to continue working will only be allowed to go to work and return home. They will wear masks and eat in separate places, he added, saying he expects a few hundred workers to be qualified under the new rules, which should only apply when difficult conditions require.
“Measures will be proposed to ensure that there is no risk of infecting the collective of employees,” he said.
The government had already required testing in schools, and from Monday (17), workers will have to test themselves twice a week. Valek predicts daily case growth will reach 20,000 early next week, and possibly 50,000 later.
The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 is falling, reaching 1,912 on Thursday (13), according to data from the Ministry of Health.
Valek reiterated that the government’s strategy is to reduce the speed of transmission of Ômicron in the population and avoid overcrowding in hospitals.
Reference: CNN Brasil
