CMO outlines quarantine discharge criteria

Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram on Wednesday outlined the criteria for quarantine discharges.

He was speaking at the Health Ministry's virtual press conference.

He said there are two types of discharge processes: home quarantine, and home isolation.

Home quarantine occurs from the date the person was exposed to either a suspected or confirmed covid19 case, and continues for 14 days.

"You will now be free of that quarantine and be able to go back to work or to other activities outside of home, once you remain without symptoms in that period.

"So the letter signed by the County Medical Officer of Health or their agent is what you will use to go back to work and give your employer as valid documentation."

He said neither a sick leave form nor a fitness for duty certificate is needed for people who were under home quarantine to return to work.

For home isolation, there are two categories: symptomatic cases and asymptomatic cases.

This refers to people who have tested positive for the virus.

For symptomatic cases, the person must remain isolated for a minimum of ten days after receiving their test results, plus three days when they no longer have symptoms. After this, they are required to isolate themselves for another seven days.

In asymptomatic cases, the person must isolate themselves for ten days after the positive swab was taken, then an additional seven days.