New Guidelines from M.O.H.W. for Essential and Other Health Careworkers

Patients who become infected with the Omicron variant will be given fewer days in isolation than those who are infected with the Delta variant. This is due to the milder symptoms as well as the shorter timeframe it takes to incubate in patients. A circular sent out by Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr. Francis Morey, addressed to all Regional Health Managers, their deputies, all Chiefs of Staff, and Surveillance teams on December thirty-first gave new guidelines. It states that to mitigate essential time lost, infected people who fall under the category of “Essential Services”, and who show no symptoms from the time they tested positive will remain in isolation for seven days instead of ten days. The isolation time is also cut short for infected people who show no symptoms from the time they tested positive as well as for essential workers who no longer show symptoms after three days of testing positive. People who show mild symptoms of cough, fatigue, muscular aches, or headaches, after the reduced isolation period, can thereafter be given additional time off by a doctor who reassesses them.