MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: No more isolation for asymptomatic people with booster doses

Vizzotti also highlighted that avoiding isolation implied a high degree of social responsibility

Argentine Health Authorities have decided Tuesday that from now on, people who have taken three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and remain asymptomatic following close contact with a positive case of the disease shall no longer be required to isolate themselves.

The officials gathered under the COFESA (The Council of Health Ministers from all 23 provinces plus the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the Federal Government) have advised the national government to lift the mandatory isolation requirement in such cases.

National Health Minister Carla Vizzotti made the announcement after a COFESA meeting, which came a few days after the Government had reduced the isolation time for those who were in close contact with a positive case from 10 days to 5.

However, Vizzotti insisted local authorities will decide what to do in their jurisdictions. She recalled that what the national government had issued were for them mere recommendations.

Vizzotti also highlighted that avoiding isolation implied a high degree of social responsibility: “The recommendation is that all people who are asymptomatic close contacts minimize their social activities, which is where” most contagions occur.

To be spared from quarantine, people nmeed to have received their booster doses less than 4 months ago.

”People with two doses and a booster do not need to have isolation; people with a primary scheme (one or two) and who had Covid can make isolation more flexible and take a test between the third and fifth day; the unvaccinated have to do isolation“ Vizzotti explained.

The minister insisted that ”the greatest source of infection is not where jobs are done, but social places.“

Vizzotti also said ”each province has a different progress in vaccination, a different epidemiological situation, a different testing capacity and, above all, different activities are considered a priority.”