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The relaxation of quarantine rules for those diagnosed with Covid-19 will be examined by public health officials this week, The Irish Times learned.
Currently, people diagnosed with the disease must self-isolate until they have had no fever for five days and 14 days have passed since the first symptoms appeared.
However, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will discuss this week changing the rule from 14 days to 10 days, based on international evidence compiled for this in a document from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa ).
NPHET first discussed the issue last week, sources said, and decided to return to the issue this week. The measure would allow people without symptoms, or whose symptoms have decreased, to return to mainstream society sooner, and is based on international evidence about how contagious someone is likely to be after infection.
Different
These rules are different from the 14-day quarantine period for those traveling to the country, and would apply only to those who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in the general community, rather than in a hospital or setting. with vulnerable people.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health confirmed that “NPHET is considering this issue and the evidence is currently being reviewed. NPHET will discuss this matter again at their meeting next Thursday. “
It comes as infection rates among healthcare workers rise, with a three-fold increase recorded during August. Nurse groups raised concerns about the extent of testing arrangements in hospitals and exceptions to allow essential staff traveling from abroad to return to work without restricting their movements for 14 days.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO) said 340 health workers had contracted the disease since early July.
Supervised
NPHET reported an additional 138 Covid-19 cases and no more deaths on Sunday night. Of the new cases, 68 occurred in Dublin, and health sources indicate that the progression of the disease will be closely monitored in the coming days after a total of 201 cases were reported in the county over the weekend.
The Health Department will also consider this week NPHET’s recommendations for a plan to manage the pandemic in the medium term, which will be launched this month. Sources said NPHET’s recommendations included moving to a five-stage alert system, with three different “orange” alert levels outlining local closures. Depending on the severity of an outbreak, these can range from measures to reduce congregations to significant restrictions on movement and economic activity. Ultimately, a numbered system may be preferred over a color-coded approach, the sources said.
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