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The ministry of health on Friday reduced the timeframe for mandatory self-isolation for Covid-19 patients from two weeks to ten days in line with advice from the World Health Organisation.
"Tonight we wish to inform South Africans that the recommended isolation period for patients with confirmed Covid-19 infection is reduced from 14 to 10 days," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a media briefing.
"This recommendation is based on evidence that most patients with a mild Covid-19 infection continue to shed the virus from their upper airways for approximately seven to 12 days."
Mkhize said the new time frame for self-isolation applied where the patient did not have a fever or worsening symptoms of the disease.
It was applicable with immediate effect and applied to healthcare workers as well, he told a media briefing via Zoom.
Health workers - who are tested as a priority group - will be tested again after five days, but with other patients, there is no need to redo a Covid-19 test if they feel better after ten days in isolation.
"The guidelines are immediately applicable ... So that is being processed so that they are available to everyone as soon as possible," he said.
Mkhize said the government had received advice that isolation periods could be further shortened to eight days but was still mulling this. The advice was based on scientific evidence that the virus weakens after eight days.
He said the government was introducing a new mobile phone system called Covid Connect through South Africans could access information on the virus, ranging from their test results to advice on what to do if they were experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus.
Mkhize said the mobile phone system was meant to enhance the physical contact tracking and tracing done by a network of community health workers.
Once a patient has supplied the department with the contact details of people he or she has been in close contact with, the system then dispatches alerts to them via SMS and to tell them what precautionary steps to take.
Mkhize said the system did not disclose the identity of the patient to their contacts.
- African News Agency (ANA)
