[ad_1]
Until yesterday, the following was true: Anyone over the age of 65 or with a pre-existing condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, should stay home, avoid public transportation, avoid shopping, and avoid personal contacts. With these recommendations, the authorities wanted to protect those who are particularly dangerous from the coronavirus against infection and prevent an overload on the health care system.
Today, the Federal Office of Public Health published modified recommendations on its website. The move was announced last week. Instructions to stay home have been removed. The recommendation to avoid personal contacts has weakened. The following recommendations now apply to people over 65 and people with previous illnesses:
- They can leave their homes as long as they strictly follow the rules of hygiene and behavior.
- Places with a high volume of people, such as train stations or public transport, should be avoided. At peak times, seniors and people with previous illnesses should avoid shopping and traveling.
- For business and private meetings, people belonging to the risk group should preferably use the phone, Skype or a similar tool.
Compared to the previous instructions, the recommendations have been relaxed in several areas. For example, the instruction to stay home has been canceled. The revised recommendations also do not strictly discourage the use of public transportation.
Previous instructions for ordering online or over the phone or for friends, neighbors, or aid organizations have also been removed: this should now only be done “if possible.” The recommendation to avoid personal contacts can also be found in the modified recommendations.
The BAG has also released a new recommendation for nursing home and nursing home residents. They were among the most vulnerable people and should therefore protect themselves against infection if possible. But visits inside and outside homes “should be possible in principle.”
Nursing and nursing homes are recommended to take precautions to strictly adhere to hygiene and behavior rules. According to the BAG, this includes, for example, only admitting healthy visitors, restricting the number of visitors and the time of the visit, and creating special meeting areas with Plexiglas or other dividers.
On Monday afternoon at 2 p.m., the federal administration reported on the latest developments regarding the coronavirus. Daniel Koch of the Federal Office of Public Health is also present. It can be assumed that it will also comment on the amended recommendations for risk groups. You can follow the press conference live here.
