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On Saturday, the government introduced new measures to stop the infection at home. It is still true that the vast majority of people diagnosed with Covid-19 are infected in their own home.
These are the three measures that now apply:
- Requirement that quarantined persons who develop symptoms should be isolated immediately until a possible negative test result is available. The ten-day quarantine period must be completed in full, even if you get a negative response to the test.
- Close contacts of an infected person should be quarantined. Now it is recommended that they test themselves. This makes it possible to isolate infected household members and quarantine more quickly. The ten-day quarantine period must be completed in full, even if you get a negative response to the test.
- Adults in the same household who are quarantined at the same time should keep as much distance as possible from each other. The advice applies between adult members of the household and will not prevent contact between children and parents.
Documents of the Ministry of Health and Sanitary Services reveals that there was disagreement between the Norwegian Health Directorate and the National Institute of Public Health over what measures they thought should be implemented.
– Infinitely naive
Own recommendations
On October 24, the Norwegian Health Directorate writes a recommendation to the Ministry of Health and Care Services with measures to limit infection in private homes.
Here the address comes with the following recommendations:
- That after a recent respiratory illness you should be symptom free before returning to work and school, regardless of the SARS-CoV-2 test results, when it is not just an occasional residual cough that often occurs in the weeks after respiratory illness.
- That members of the household of a quarantined person should refrain from social activities and participate in leisure events for ten days, even if they are not quarantined themselves.
- That household members of a person with new symptoms of covid-19 should refrain from social activities and participate in leisure activities, pending the result of the person’s test for SARS-CoV-2.
This prompted the Norwegian Institute of Public Health to react.
Among other things because “it will lead to even greater challenges with absence if all people with respiratory infections must be at home until all symptoms disappear.”
“Waiting for quarantine”
In addition, FHI reacted to advice on quarantine for household members of quarantined people.
It can be seen as the beginning of the introduction of “second level quarantine”. This is not in line with current advice, and it is difficult to see the proportionality of the infection control professional in the measure, since the vast majority of those in quarantine today are not infected with COVID-19.
FHI believed that even the latest measure was unfortunate, noting that a person with a new cold may not want to be tested if it means the entire family should be home until the test result is available.
“99 percent of those who are tested turn out not to have a positive result and therefore their family / household will have been unnecessarily in quarantine waiting.”
Reveal behind-the-scenes drama
Snur
On October 28, the Norwegian Health Directorate sends a new recommendation to the government, in consultation with the National Institute of Public Health.
Here it is recommended no to introduce some additional formal restrictions for household members from the quarantine – a “quarantine light”.
Nor is “quarantine on hold” recommended for household members.
“So it will be disproportionately strict if all household members are to be quarantined pending test results, and it can also go against the purpose if more people choose to wait / abstain from testing and wait and see if symptoms disappear, “writes the Norwegian Health Directorate.
The Norwegian Health Directorate writes that they have carried out a new assessment of the relevant measures and now support FHI’s assessments and proposals for the relevant measures.
The recommendations that were sent to the Norwegian Directorate of Health and Care Services are the measures that have now been introduced.
Important new measures to avoid contagion from the tsunami
Satisfied with measurements
Health Director Bjørn Guldvog emphasizes to Dagbladet that the Norwegian Health Directorate is satisfied with the measures that have now been implemented.
– We have looked for ways to prevent generalized infection in the home, as well as infection in homes and the general population. The reason for this is that half of the known infection occurs in homes. When we investigated it in the previous round, we looked for measures that could be implemented that would make people more careful if they had people in their homes who were in close contact with an infected person, Guldvog says.
He adds:
– Now we, together with FHI, have found a good logic to take care of what is desired and what we make visible. There are also elements that are similar in both solutions.
He points out that the solution now in effect is a new rule in covid-19 regulations that if you are in close contact with an infected person and have symptoms, you must be isolated.
– It’s sharper than quarantine, which was before. In quarantine, you have the opportunity to take a walk outside the home, but you must keep a good distance. In isolation, avoid contact with other family members. Your family is quarantined when you are in isolation, and if any of them show symptoms, you must remain in isolation until you get a negative test.
Rules for this year’s Halloween celebration
It will prevent infection internally
Guldvog emphasizes that the new measures consist of a rule change and two stricter councils.
– We recommend trying and emphasizing that two quarantined people in the same household should keep their distance from each other as much as possible. Even if you have been to the same party and you are both close contacts, it is not certain that you are both infected. To avoid internal infection, they must be separated.
The new measures apply to all households, including housing associations.
– Most infected people have long stayed at home. Why haven’t measures been implemented before?
– If you define it as close contact now, there is a greater risk that you are infected than before, because there is more infection in society.
