The Ministry of Health wants COVID to be classified as a common disease and for those infected not to be automatically subject to seven days of compulsory isolation. A doctor would order any isolation based on the results of a health risk assessment of the patient. This follows from a draft decree the ministry has put out for comment.
“The proposed change reflects the global evolution of the epidemiological situation of the COVID-19 disease, which had undergone major changes compared to the period when the original decree was drafted,” the ministry recalled in the explanatory memorandum, adding that the population’s susceptibility to the disease has been decreasing over time, whether due to vaccination or to promotions.
In the future, doctors should “realistically assess the level of risk of its further spread, especially concerning the health status of the person being assessed and his or her surroundings.” The nature of their employment should also influence their decision.
For example, doctors should take a different approach for an infected person working in the health or social services sector, where the spread of infection would be dangerous, and for a person working outdoors without close interaction with other people.
“At the same time, when assessing the health risk, it is also necessary to assess the possibility of using respiratory protective equipment, which, if used adequately, also in the case of COVID-19, plays an unmissable role,” added the ministry, which said neighboring countries are approaching the relaxation.