The federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has published a quarantine regulation, which, among other things, is intended to relieve the burden on the local health authorities. Aachen Städteregion has announced that:
According to the quarantine ordinance, you must self-quarantine if you
- have tested for COVID-19 due to experiencing symptoms and are awaiting the result; a positive result from a rapid test for COVID-19 must, however, be immediately confirmed by a conventional test
- have tested positively for COVID-19 through a rapid test and now need to take the conventional test
- have tested positively for COVID-19 in a conventional test;
- live in the same household as someone who has tested positive.
This means, above all, that you should no longer wait for a call from the local health department to go into quarantine!
All other first-degree contact persons who are not members of the household will continue to receive individual quarantine orders from the health department. On request, the health department will issue quarantine certificates, which can be used to compensate for loss of earnings.
Furthermore, the duration of the quarantine period is now calculated differently. The quarantine period no longer starts with the onset of the first symptoms, but on the date of the test. The quarantine period for those who have fallen ill lasts until there is a clear improvement or the individual is completely free of symptoms for at least 48 hours; in all cases, a minimum quarantine period of 10 days must be observed. Please note that it is not possible for those who have fallen ill to reduce the period of quarantine with the help of a “release test”.
Contact persons must undergo a quarantine period of 14 days. After 10 days, they have the opportunity to take a test, and those with a negative test result can be released from quarantine. Both a negative rapid test and a negative PCR test are permissible to shorten the quarantine period. Rapid tests are performed by general practitioners; the PCR test can be taken free of charge at a COVID-19 test center (“Abstrichzentrum”).
In addition, the Ordinance stipulates that all individuals with a positive PCR test are required to immediately inform their contacts of this test result. If a contact person experiences symptoms, they can take a test with their primary care physician or at a COVID-19 test center.
Similar regulations are expected to be in place for employees and students who live in other districts of North Rhine-Westphalia. Those who meet the known requirements are advised to inquire about this matter with their local health department.
If employees are not able to work from home during a quarantine period, they must request an official quarantine certificate since this is a requirement for the HR department.
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