Isolation rules are changing. From Monday January 3, people positive for Covid-19 and having a complete vaccination schedule will have to isolate themselves for a period of seven days regardless of the variant, and this isolation may be lifted after five days in the event of antigenic test or negative PCR, announced the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, in the Sunday newspaper January 2. This release from isolation will be possible on condition of having no longer had any clinical sign of infection for 48 hours. Those who are not vaccinated will have to isolate themselves for ten days, with a possible exit after seven days under the same conditions.
In addition, there will be no more quarantine for contact cases with a complete vaccination schedule, who will however have to strictly respect the barrier gestures and “do regular tests”, explained the Minister of Health. In detail, it will always be necessary to do a first PCR test or an antigen on the day when the contamination of the person you have seen is reported to you. It will then be necessary to perform self-tests on D + 2 and D + 4, which will be provided free of charge in pharmacies on proof of first screening.
Contact persons should nevertheless “Strictly apply barrier measures, in particular wearing a mask indoors and outdoors”, and telework “as far as possible”, specifies the ministry in a press release.
For unvaccinated people or those who have not yet taken their booster dose (mandatory for a complete vaccination schedule from January 15), it will be necessary to isolate themselves for seven days as a contact case and obtain a negative test at the end of the day. after this period to be able to get out of isolation.
Until now, positive people had to stay in isolation for 10 days regardless of the variant, and contact cases of a person who contracted the Omicron variant had to self-isolate for a minimum of 7 days. The duration of isolation could also reach 17 days, whatever the variant, when sharing the home of a positive person.
This change of rules responds to the need to “take into account the extremely rapid development of the distribution of the Omicron variant in France” and must allow“have a benefit-risk balance aimed at ensuring the control of contamination while maintaining socio-economic life”, explains the ministry.