During this short period of time, people who tested positive but asymptomatic were advised to self-monitor themselves and avoid large groups of people. „All unvaccinated travellers will be offered vaccines,” the draft rule states. If you have previously tested positive for COVID-19, you are not considered a close contact 28 days after you leave isolation. South Africans who test positive for coronavirus but show no symptoms of Covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate, the government announced Monday night. International travellers entering South Africa will continue to be screened for Covid-19 symptoms and will be able to avoid being taken to a state isolation centre by proving they have access to these facilities – by submitting documents 72 hours before arrival at South African borders. JOHANNESBURG, 28. December (Reuters) – South Africa has reiterated rules that no longer require people without symptoms of COVID-19 to be isolated or tested if they have been in contact with a positive case, the government said on Tuesday, adding that an amended circular would be reissued. Your doctor, government representative or NICD will also ask you to make a list of all the people you have had close contact with for 2 days before your illness. These individuals must also quarantine at home for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms.
Read the guide on what to do if I am a close contact of someone with a confirmed illness and asked to quarantine at home. South Africa is preparing to introduce permanent rules for coronavirus-related self-isolation – for those who live alone or have a bathroom attached to their bedroom. These include rules for what was once called quarantine, which was then called isolation, although the effect has remained largely the same. As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, new knowledge about the nature of COVID-19 infection, a better appreciation of the costs associated with current practices, and an increase in vaccination rates and immunity to COVID-19 infection among South Africans have necessitated a significant overhaul of quarantine recommendations, isolation and monitoring of contracts. This state of disaster provides the legal authority under which cabinet ministers have governed by decree and enacted rules for everything from wearing masks to the occasional ban on alcohol. „This means that the status quo will be maintained and all existing regulations regarding contact tracing, quarantine and isolation will continue to apply.” In December, South Africa drastically changed self-isolation rules by eliminating contact tracing altogether, saying asymptomatic carriers would not be subject to restrictions. These rules were celebrated internationally before being withdrawn a few days later. For those with symptoms of Covid-19 (often described as similar to a cold or flu since the Omicron variant became dominant), the isolation period will be reduced from the current 10 days to seven days. Under the new rules, self-isolation will be available for those who have access to online purchases with contactless delivery or who can show they have „the support of friends and family who can facilitate the delivery of food and medicine to the door.” Health Minister Joe Phaahla intends to update long-standing rules on notifiable diseases to effectively reinstate some of the pandemic rules without the need to further extend the state of disaster. Your healthcare provider (your GP or local clinic) is primarily responsible for your care. However, they can be called, visited or advised by government officials, community health workers or the NICD.
Once you have confirmed the coronavirus disease, the purpose of this contact is to assess whether your home environment is conducive to isolation, to help you and your household members comply with home isolation recommendations, and to monitor your illness. If you are visited at home, officers will wear personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and aprons to avoid getting infected, keep a distance of 2 metres and enter your home only when necessary. Visiting agents can provide you with a care kit (the contents of this package vary). The frequency with which you are contacted by government officials or the NICD may change. You can end your home isolation 14 days after the onset of your illness. Your illness began on the day you first developed symptoms, not the day a sample was taken or the day the lab test was positive. If you have been tested without symptoms (note that this is not currently recommended) and have had a positive result, you can end your home isolation 14 days after the positive sample is collected. If you have been asked to self-isolate at home, your doctor has determined that you have mild illness that can be treated at home, that you have few or no risk factors for serious illness, and that your home environment is suitable for isolation. However, some people with coronavirus disease can worsen at home and need to be hospitalized. It is very important that you carefully monitor your symptoms during your illness and watch for emergency warning signs – see How do I take care of myself at home? After a 14-day period of home isolation, you are considered non-contagious, meaning you are very unlikely to transmit an infection to others. No follow-up laboratory tests will be performed during or at the end of your home isolation period.
Lab tests that only look for coronavirus genetic material in samples can`t tell us if you can still pass the infection on to others, because a positive test can only detect dead pieces of virus. People with symptomatic COVID infection who have mild illness (they do not require hospitalization due to COVID-Pnuemonia) should be isolated for 7 days from the date of symptom onset. No testing is required prior to stripping. While the above recommendations on isolation, quarantine and contact tracing cover most scenarios, there may be unique complex scenarios that are not covered by the above, and in these unique situations, physicians involved should use their discretion to proceed weighing the safest option against socio-economic costs. The change was based on advice from the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) in mid-December, which said there was no point in forcing asymptomatic people to self-isolate while doing so at the cost of lost income, lost schooling and institutions such as hospitals struggling due to the shortage of key workers. It also revised quarantine protocols, stating that all out-of-home quarantine facilities would be shut down, while contact tracing efforts would also be abandoned, except in certain scenarios such as cluster outbreaks. According to the latest government statistics, 46.55% of the adult population has been vaccinated so far. About two-thirds of 18-34 year olds have not yet been vaccinated. If you are in close contact with symptoms of COVID-19, you should take a PCR test as soon as possible and quarantine until you get a result. Source: Compiled by NICD www.nicd.ac.za/what-to-do-if-i-test-positive-for-covid-19-and-i-.