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Quarantine testing requirements eased for asymptomatic cases
Public health officials have amended requirements that asymptomatic Covid patients or those with mild infections have to meet in order to leave quarantine.
Under the new guidelines, asymptomatic patients can leave quarantine if 10 days have passed since they first test positive.
While those with mild symptoms can do so 10 days after they begin to experience symptoms.
Neither category of patient will have to test negative before leaving quarantine, as had previously been required.
The new rules apply to those quarantining in government quarantine centres, hotels, or at home.
Certain patients can also now isolate at home in seven cities and counties, including New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung, Kaohsiung, Hualien County, and Yilan County.
But seven days of self-health management at the end of the period still applies.
In related news, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has announced that some people may eventually be eligible to finish quarantine early.
The says, people in quarantine with Covid-19 symptoms ranging from mild to asymptomatic may be released early, once their risk of transmission has been deemed sufficiently low.
Health Minister Chen Shih-Chung says, if a mild or asymptomatic case returns a Ct value of 30 or greater on two rapid tests, within 4 days of testing positive, they may be released from quarantine early, if they have not yet finished their 10th day.
CECC officials say, based on scientific evidence, the patients infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus have often become non-infectious after their 10th day of symptom onset.
The CECC notes that depending on changes to the epidemic situation, further rolling revisions may be made.
