The Ministry of Health has announced that COVID-19 contact tracing will be stopped with immediate effect, except when infections are detected in cluster outbreaks and congregational settings, which includes prisons, nursing homes and nursing homes. for children.
The department updated a memorandum that said there was new information about COVID-19, such as the high number of asymptomatic cases and that only a small proportion of infections had been diagnosed by laboratory tests.
‘Containment strategies are no longer appropriate’ and contacts should not be tested unless they develop symptoms, the department said, but should continue with enhanced monitoring strategies, such as daily temperature tests and symptom screening.
The quarantine requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated people who came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should also be stopped with immediate effect, the department said, as it was no longer viable in the social climate. and current economy of South Africa.
“As current testing only identifies a small minority of all Covid-19 cases, quarantining the contacts of these cases serves no demonstrable general public health purpose.
“Furthermore, quarantine is not feasible in many social settings and is associated with both significant pressure on staffing levels and costs to the individual and to society at large,” said the department in its opinion.
But if someone has tested positive, they will still need to self-isolate and will not have to be tested again after their self-isolation period ends.
For asymptomatic people, no period of isolation is required, but people are advised to self-observe for 5-7 days for the development of symptoms if they appear.
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