Some countries have already shortened the quarantine period. Now Germany is following suit. But there is a risk that the number of new infections will increase even more as a result.
The new virus variant Omicron is spreading at breakneck speed and above all endangers the critical infrastructure. If the number of cases continues to rise, there could be staff shortages in hospitals, among other places. That should be avoided. But how? The USA had taken the first step and reduced the quarantine period for vaccinated people. Those who have been immunized against the corona virus now only have to be in quarantine for five days instead of ten.
Germany has now made a similar decision. The Federal Council is to decide on this on Friday. In future, contact persons of infected people will no longer have to be in quarantine if they have had a booster vaccination or have just received their second vaccination – i.e. within the last three months – or have recovered.
Infections are still carried on
But there is criticism of the decision. For example, the medical organization Marburger Bund fears that the new exceptions to quarantine will lead to more corona infections. This applies even if they are very close contacts, i.e. live with infected people, for example, explained the association chairwoman of the employed and civil servant doctors, Susanne Johna, on Friday in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. “We take a critical view of this because we fear that infections will then be passed on.”
In general, however, it is right to shorten the quarantine and isolation times because the now predominant corona variant Omicron has a shorter generation time. This means that the viral load increases faster, but then decreases again faster.
Criticism of test rules
Other experts had previously sharply criticized the fact that, according to the new rules, infected people can not only test themselves out of quarantine prematurely after seven days with an accurate PCR test, but also with the unsafe rapid tests.
The Federal Council intends to adopt the corresponding model ordinance in a special session in the morning. The federal and state governments had agreed on the rules. The ordinance, which the Bundestag passed on Thursday evening, must then be implemented in state law by the states.
Source From: Stern
