In a major change, China is allowing people with mild Covid to quarantine at home. The country has been very strict for the past three years.
At-home quarantine for mild covid approved
On Wednesday, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced that people with asymptomatic covid-19 and mild covid can self-treat and quarantine at home. “Asymptomatic persons and mild cases can be isolated at home while strengthening health monitoring, and they can transfer to designated hospitals for treatment in a timely manner if their condition worsens,” stated the NHC.
For almost three years China has been managing coronavirus as a dangerous disease. However, now it is preparing its people to learn to live with the virus. Top officials are acknowledging the reduced ability of the new virus to cause severe symptoms. Additionally, experts in the country also suggest it is not deadlier than seasonal flu.
More on the new policy against coronavirus
Earlier, entire communities were under lockdown for weeks together, following the discovery of one positive case. However, last month, easier quarantine rules required the lockdown of affected buildings. China is set to announce more relaxation of control measures later in the day. As per reports, in addition to including home quarantine as a nationwide policy, it is also reining in on unnecessary testing.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that authorities are going to set up antigen testing for the new coronavirus. This will in turn help in reducing the regular nucleic acid tests and mass testing. Additionally, Sun Chunlan, the Vice Premier on Wednesday urged for “optimization” of testing, quarantine policies, and treatment of covid. Sun Chunlan is in charge of overseeing the nation’s counter covid-19 efforts.
