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The government of France said on Monday that the Covid isolation requirements will be relaxed as of Monday, in an effort to reduce their social and economic impact.
People who have been fully vaccinated and test positive for coronavirus will only have to isolate for seven days, regardless of which coronavirus variant they have been infected with, although they will be able to exit quarantine after five days if they display antigen or a negative PCR test.
Individuals who are properly vaccinated and have a positive close contact test will not be placed in quarantine.
In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, health minister Olivier Veran stated that people must adhere to precautionary measures and “undergo regular testing.”
Until now, persons who tested positive in France had to be confined for ten days and their close contacts had to be isolated for a week as well.
If a household has a positive case, the maximum isolation period could be up to 17 days, depending on the variation.
The rule modification is in response to the necessity to “take into account the exceptionally rapid evolution of the Omicron variant’s distribution in France.”
According to the Ministry of Health, it should allow for a “benefit-risk balance aimed at guaranteeing virus control while preserving socioeconomic life.”
Furthermore, “the first available virological data” revealed that “the incubation period of Omicron appears to be faster than earlier variations, favouring a possible reduction in isolation length.”
Meanwhile, persons who test positive for the virus but are not fully vaccinated must undergo a 10-day quarantine, which is reduced to seven days if a positive antigen or negative PCR test is shown.
Close unvaccinated contacts are still subject to a seven-day quarantine, and they must pass a test to be released.