Dublin: The department of health is considering minimizing the quarantine period for those who have confirmed Covid-19.
The High Public Health Committee is examining the matter on the basis of international evidence compiled by the Health Information and Quality Authority.
The decision of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to shorten the quarantine rule to 10 days is expected soon. A spokesman for the health ministry said that such a plan was in place.
He said the NPHET had discussed the issue last week but the final decision would be taken only after next Thursday’s meeting.
The current guideline is that people diagnosed with the disease must stay in quarantine for 14 days if they do not have a fever for five days. The change would pave the way for asymptomatic and milder individuals to return to public life more quickly.
The new decision will be based on international evidence of an epidemic risk. However, this law does not apply to foreigners who enter the country. This only applies to those who are hospitalized or nursing home in the country.
Meanwhile, the rate of infection is rising among health care workers. In August, it tripled. Various groups of nurses have expressed concern about the testing arrangements in hospitals.
The groups are also questioning measures such as forcing employees from abroad to work without quarantine.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says 340 health workers have been infected since early July.
The Department of Health is also considering NPEHT’s recommendations for a proposal to resolve the epidemic this month. These recommendations include three different levels of five-level orange alerts that define local lockdowns, and color-coded system tightening.
Meanwhile, 138 new Covid cases were confirmed on Sunday. There is no death have been reported. Of the new cases, 68 are in Dublin.