The change should come into force on January 11, announced the head of the national health authority, Jenny Harries, on Wednesday in London. After a positive test, infected people must be quarantined for seven days. In fact, this shortens the quarantine time again, as there is no longer any need to wait for the PCR result.
The duration of self-isolation had previously been shortened from ten to seven days in order to cushion staff losses in critical industries. A PCR test is still recommended for those infected with symptoms. The test system in Great Britain has been overloaded for weeks due to the new wave with the particularly contagious Omikron variant. There are always problems with booking or ordering tests.
In view of the fact that antigen tests are more likely to produce false positive results, Harries said the risk is “very small”. PCR tests are considered the “gold standard” among the corona tests that reliably detect infections. Antigen tests – also known as rapid tests – are cheaper and more easily available, but they are also not as reliable.
Source: Nachrichten
