CECC shortens quarantine period for COVID-19 contacts

2022/04/27

The shortening of quarantine for contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases was announced April 25 by the Cabinet-level Central Epidemic Command Center, spotlighting the government’s focus on returning to normality.
 
The change which takes effect from April 26, allows known contacts of infected persons to quarantine for just three days and then monitor their health for a further four days. This is a significant reduction from the previous 10 days of quarantine and seven days of self-health management.
 
According to the CECC, an individual will receive a COVID-19 rapid test when they are first listed as a contact and then take another on the third day of quarantine. If they test negative, they are then required to monitor their health for the next four days, taking a test every day, and must receive a negative result on the final day, the center added.
 
During the four day health monitoring period, after a daily negative test, Individuals are allowed to go to work and purchase daily necessities, the CECC said, however, they are forbidden to eat in restaurants, eat outside with other people, attend gatherings or go to crowded places.
 
Should an individual test positive, they must take a polymerase chain reaction test under guidelines issued by local authorities, the CECC said. They are allowed to walk, drive themselves, be driven by friends or family members, ride scooters or bikes to designated community testing clinics but may not take public transport.
 
The CECC also opted to simplify COVID-19 patients’ contact-tracing. Under the new measures, people who were in close contact with a COVID-19 case in the two days prior to a positive test or appearance of symptoms are required to quarantine.
 
The center said close contacts are defined as: family members or roommates in the same accommodation; classmates and workplace colleagues with close contact, or colleagues seated in each direction around the confirmed case. If testing positive, individuals should proactively provide health authorities with a list of those they live with and their school or company contact information, so that the health authorities can issue official quarantine notifications.
 
According to the CECC, the government will focus on the treatment of moderate and severe COVID-19 cases and urge the public to proactively report contacts to protect themselves and others. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)