South Africa new rules

[Coconut49]

See daily mail link below. I am finding it confusing. My other thread was deleted as I may have interpreted it incorrectly. Are they saying asymptomatic cases don't have to isolate or is it just asymptomatic contacts of positive cases ? I'm finding the working ambiguous!

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10342333/amp/South-Africa-STOPS-contact-tracing-quarantine-Asymptomatic-Covid-sufferers-wont-isolate.html

Depends, it might be terminology they use - those without symptoms, crack on with enhanced awareness of having been a close contact.

There’s no mention of vaccines I notice.

With the shear number of cases it’s impossible to monitor anyway.

I don’t see an issue.

It is also being suggested the same change may occur here. If Omicron is relatively less harmful and most people are vaccinated or would not be too ill with it then we might ultimately treat it like flu - hope people wont' sneeze over each other and offer the old and sick a once a year vaccine based on the most likely strain for that winter.

South Africa has its summer now I think so it may also be a seasonale issue - less covid and flu and colds in the summer.

@Xenia that would feel like we’re coming out of the pandemic and are in the ‘living with it’ stage.

I'm all for not isolating if asymptomatic as virus gets milder but was confused with wording in article. Not sure if it is just contacts who don't have to isolate and headline is incorrect.

I think this is a misinterpretation by the DM (what a surprise!) Other news sources are reporting that covid contacts who are asymptomatic are not required to test unless they develop symptoms. Which is pretty much the same as the UK, where testing of contacts is optional.

www.news24.com/health24/medical/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-health-dept-announces-immediate-end-to-contact-tracing-20211224

Here’s a link to a local article, yes it looks like if you have no symptoms then you don’t need to isolate at all.
It’s an interesting approach, I will definitely be masking up a lot more now as anyone you come into contact with could have Covid.

On the plus side it will make school a lot easier, at the moment they are constantly closing classes when there is a positive case and sending close contacts home now we can carry on as long as you don’t have symptoms.

I think also worth considering is that millions of people in South Africa live in conditions where isolation is impossible even if you have symptoms, shared toilets / portaloos, single taps in the street used by lots of households, families sharing 1 room, thousands living in extremely close living conditions, cooking together etc.

On the plus side it will make school a lot easier, at the moment they are constantly closing classes when there is a positive case and sending close contacts home now we can carry on as long as you don’t have symptoms.

Yes, great news for schools!

@Xenia

It is also being suggested the same change may occur here. If Omicron is relatively less harmful and most people are vaccinated or would not be too ill with it then we might ultimately treat it like flu - hope people wont' sneeze over each other and offer the old and sick a once a year vaccine based on the most likely strain for that winter.

South Africa has its summer now I think so it may also be a seasonale issue - less covid and flu and colds in the summer.

I agree. This is the way we will all go. It has to be.

This is amazing news. If it's so mild and basically like a cold why bother isolating. The NHS crisis could be vastly improved if people were no longer required to isolate even if they were just close contacts. The virus can no longer be contained. This variant is essentially just a cold. Might as well let everyone get it to increase immunity and cause herd immunity now.

Out of the 68 million people in the UK, there are less than 150 people in hospital with omicron. I🤷🏼‍♀️

When have schools been sending close contacts home? Hasn’t happened since before the summer holidays. School staff being ill will close classes and I won’t be rushing back until I’m totally well, be that 10 days or more.

@CarrieBlue I live in South Africa so the rules are different here and stricter. If you are a close contact of a positive case at school then you are sent home and had to isolate for 10 days and get a drs note to be allowed return to school.
They had so many close contacts in December they gave up and shut schools early for the summer holidays.
These new rules in South Africa mean that we are testing Covid like a cold, stay home if you are sick but if you have no symptoms then you can keep going to school. This is really great news as most kids had no symptoms.

The NHS crisis could be vastly improved if people were no longer required to isolate even if they were just close contacts.

That's already the case if you're vaccinated

They seem to be using the terms 'close contacts' and 'asymptomatic cases' interchangeably. I read it that there is no longer a requirement for close contacts to test or isolate if they have no symptoms. If they develop symptoms they have to test and isolate same as in the UK. Agree the wording is terrible.

@containsnuts

They seem to be using the terms 'close contacts' and 'asymptomatic cases' interchangeably. I read it that there is no longer a requirement for close contacts to test or isolate if they have no symptoms. If they develop symptoms they have to test and isolate same as in the UK. Agree the wording is terrible.

Yes this is what I think and why I was confused! Think they are encouraging no tests to be done unless you have symptoms and hence if asymptomatic you won't know if you have Covid and can carry on life normally.

These new rules in South Africa mean that we are testing Covid like a cold, stay home if you are sick but if you have no symptoms then you can keep going to school. This is really great news as most kids had no symptoms.

So even positive covid cases don't have to isolate unless the symptoms are bad?

That really would be good news, especially for schools!

Think the Daily mail is incorrect - it seems to be just relaxation of rules for contacts of positive cases. Shame.

amp.dw.com/en/coronavirus-digest-south-africa-eases-covid-isolation-rules/a-60251036