South Africa: The most flexible quarantine and tracking protocols are recalled

South Africa has revoked new health protocols that said those with no symptoms of Covid-19 did not need to be isolated or tested if they came in contact with a positive case, the government said, adding that it would provide revised instructions.

Last week the Ministry of Health announced that asymptomatic patients who had come into contact with a Covid-19 case no longer needed to be quarantined, but would have to watch for 5-7 days if they develop symptoms and avoid large gatherings. . According to these protocols, only those who showed symptoms should be tested. Those with mild symptoms would be isolated for eight days and those with more severe symptoms for ten days.

The quarantine protocols were also revised (there would be no more quarantine facilities, patients could be left alone at home) and tracing efforts would be stopped, except in certain cases, such as if new coronavirus outbreaks were detected.

The government proceeded with this review based on a number of scientific data, such as that most citizens had been vaccinated with at least one dose and had developed some level of immunity. This fact has contributed to the low number of hospitalizations observed recently, according to the Ministry of Health.

Now, all these protocols are being revoked, as the ministry was flooded with questions and comments from the media and citizens. “Based on the principle of transparency and receptivity, the ministry has decided to put the implementation of its revised policy on hold, while taking into account all additional comments and data,” he said. “This means that the current status quo and all previous regulations regarding tracing, quarantine and isolation are maintained.”

There have been 3.42 million cases and 90,854 deaths from Covid-19 in South Africa. The situation in the country is closely monitored around the world, as it was one of the first to identify the most contagious Omicron variant. Cases have dropped this week, with only 7,216 infections and 25 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

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Source From: Capital

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