A circular from the Ministry of Health is coming with the changes to the quarantine criteria, awaiting the latest evaluations by the technicians
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The new circular of the Ministry of Health is expected in days with the rules on the isolation of Covid-19 positives in view of September. Healthcare technicians are considering the enlargement of the quarantine mesh, based on the trend of the contagion curve. If at the end of August Italy is experiencing a decrease in cases with a sharp decline in hospitalizations, a new surge is expected upon returning from holidays which, with the current measures, could block many citizens inside.
The current quarantine rules
The current rules provide that the isolation for a person who tested positive for Covid-19 must last at least 7 days10 for those who are not vaccinated, who must wait for a negative swab and the last 3 days without symptoms before being able to leave the quarantine.
On the other hand, those who have received the full course of vaccination for less than 4 months can leave the house with a negative swab after a week. Isolation is considered finished even after 21 days of positivity, as long as there have been no symptoms for at least 7 days.
The assumptions about the new rules
In light of the features of Omicron 5, which has now become predominant, health experts are evaluating changes to the rules. The sub-variant BA.5 has, in fact, shorter incubation and infection periods on average, respectively 3 and 5 days.
The new circular, as reported by beraking latest newsshould predict a reduction of the maximum duration of isolation to 15 or 10 days (from the current 21) and above all the possibility for the positives without symptoms not to wait any longer 7 days to take the end isolation swab, and if the test is negative to return free, with the hypothesis of wait only 48 hours in the absence of symptoms.
The opinion of the experts
The issue is widely debated by insiders pending a decision by the ministry.
The Undersecretary of Health, Andrea Costa had hoped at the beginning of the month “the revision of the isolation for asymptomatic Covid 19 positives: a first reduction immediately and the definitive elimination of the measure in the coming weeks”, underlining in a note that “the important step towards normality of returning to school without mask “.
The director of the infectious diseases department of the San Martino hospital in Genoa has been insisting on this for weeks, Matteo Bassetti: “If there is a new outbreak of infections in September (very likely) and the quarantine rules are not changed, many Italians will not be able to vote,” he wrote on his Facebook page in recent days.
On the social networks, the infectious disease specialist has repeatedly denounced the “immobility” of the Ministry of Health with “the risk of being late, because one cannot think of arriving in the autumn, when there will be a possible resumption of infections, with these measures of isolation. We end up paralyzing the country ”.
Of the same opinion the head of the Medical Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Bio-Medico Campus of Rome, Massimo Ciccozzi: “When there was an increase in cases I was not in favor, but now I say yes to a reduction in isolation for asymptomatic but, beware, with the mandatory Ffp2 mask if they go to work” he told beraking latest newshowever, specifying not to extend “this possibility to health workers and RSAs”.
Photo source: ANSA