Turkey's Health Ministry reduces quarantine period for positive cases to 7 days

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has released a written statement following the Coronavirus Scientific Board meeting yesterday (January 5). The Minister has announced that the quarantine periods for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been updated in Turkey.

According to the Minister's statement, the quarantine period for positive cases has been reduced to 7 days.

"After seven days, the quarantine period ends for the people who have mild or no symptoms. If positive cases have themselves tested on the fifth day and their test results turn out to be negative, their quarantine period ends," Health Minister Koca has said in his statement.

The Minister has also announced that the COVID-19 close contacts who have received their booster shots or recovered from the disease in the last three months will not be quarantined. These people will continue with their daily activities with symptom monitoring and use of masks.

As for the people who have not been vaccinated or who have received their booster shots more than three months ago, they will be placed in a 7-day quarantine, according to the Minister's statement.

Referring to these people, Health Minister Koca has said, "Their symptoms will be followed up. The people who have themselves tested on the fifth day and have a negative test result can end the quarantine."

NOTE: The quarantine period for COVID-19 was 10 days in Turkey. With the emergence of the Delta Plus variant, this period was increased to 14 days in the country in May 2021.

Omicron effect

Health Minister Koca has noted that the Omicron variant has caused a significant increase in the number of cases in Turkey, adding:

"The increase in cases has not been similarly reflected in the hospitals. A marked increase has been observed in the burden on hospitals in İstanbul, where the Omicron variant has spread the most.

"While there is no sufficient data to be able to suggest that the Omicron variant makes people less sick when compared to other variants, the current indicators do not cause concerns."

In-class education

Health Minister Koca has also announced that in-class education will continue in Turkey: "Our schools will not be closed until all institutions are closed. Education will continue by abiding by the measures."

The highest daily cases reported on January 5

The Ministry of Health announced the latest figures on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Turkey yesterday (January 5).

While the daily number of new cases has been announced as 66,467, 143 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Turkey in the last 24 hours. While 29,316 people have recovered in a day, the number of tests conducted in the last 24 hours has been announced as 417,787.

With 66,476 cases, Turkey's Health Ministry has reported the highest number of daily cases in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. The highest number before this was recorded on April 16, 2021, when 63,082 daily cases were reported. (TP/SD)