The suggestion to go to work after a high-risk contact appears to be putting the economy above health. This could affect support among residents who have had to limit their contacts as much as possible in the past two years. That’s what Trends editor Roeland Byl said.
Employers are calling for more flexible quarantine rules, now that the omikron variant has rapidly advanced. This might be a good idea because this new dominant variant has a shorter incubation period and will be less contagious. Moreover, the testing and tracking system cannot handle the high contamination rates.
Although science isn’t quite sure yet of that shorter period of infection, many countries have already adjusted their quarantine policies. In France, the UK and Italy, you no longer even have to go into quarantine after a high-risk contact.
It is, of course, good that the policy responds to the development of the virus, but the proposal to relax the quarantine policy primarily follows economic logic. Due to the rapid spread of the virus, employees are at risk of having to stay home en masse. It would slow down the economy.
Relaxing quarantine rules is a risk.
The suggestion to go to work after a high-risk contact appears to be putting the economy above health. This may affect support among residents who have had to limit their contacts as much as possible in the past two years. Of course, self-tests can help keep virus spreaders out of the workplace. However, these tests are not foolproof. Everyone knows someone who tested negative but turns out to be infected.
Moreover, the general relaxation of quarantine rules that employer organizations are pushing for calls into question the commitment to remote work. Remote work is still mandatory where possible, unfortunately for some employers. If someone has no reason to move away from the workplace after a high-risk contact, this is only a small step to reconsider the usefulness of remote work in the fight against the pandemic.
Employers are calling for more flexible quarantine rules, now that the omikron variant has rapidly advanced. This might be a good idea because this new dominant variant has a shorter incubation period and will be less contagious. Moreover, the testing and tracking system cannot handle the high contamination rates. Although science isn’t quite sure yet of that shorter period of infection, many countries have already adjusted their quarantine policies. In France, the UK and Italy, you no longer even have to go into quarantine after a high-risk contact. It is, of course, good that the policy responds to the development of the virus, but the proposal to relax the quarantine policy primarily follows economic logic. Due to the rapid spread of the virus, employees are at risk of having to stay home en masse. This would slow the economy, and the suggestion to simply start working after a high-risk call appears to be putting the economy above health. This may affect support among residents who have had to limit their contacts as much as possible in the past two years. Of course, self-tests can help keep virus spreaders out of the workplace. However, these tests are not foolproof. Everyone knows someone who has tested negative through a self-test but turns out to be infected. The general easing of quarantine rules, urged by employers’ organizations, also puts the obligation to work remotely into question. Remote work is still mandatory where possible, unfortunately for some employers. If someone has no reason to move away from the workplace after a high-risk contact, this is only a small step to reconsider the usefulness of remote work in the fight against the pandemic.
