Revised guidelines on Quarantine/Isolation duration
With the authority vested with the Director General of Public Health under clause numbers 34 and 12 of the Public Health Act 7/2012, the isolation period of people positive for Covid-19 and the quarantine period for contacts of Covid-19 cases have been revised as follows from today.
1) Isolation period for positive cases of COVID-19
1.1 Individuals who test positive for Covid-19 and are asymptomatic are required to be in Isolation for a period of 07 (seven) days from the date of sample collection. However, those who exhibit covid symptoms at the end of the isolation period specified are required to continue their isolation until 24 hours after symptoms have cleared.
1.2 However, those working in health facilities, educational establishments and residential care facilities will need to additionally submit a negative Antigen Test done at the end of SEVENTH DAY before starting work. The said antigen test must be done through an approved service provider and as per the set guidelines by Ministry of Health.
2) Quarantine duration for those identified as direct contacts
2.1 Individual who are identified as a direct contact of a positive case and who have completed the prescribed dose of a Covid-19 vaccine will have to undergo quarantine
for a period of 10 days from the date of sample collection and can be released without a PCR test if the individuals do not exhibit any symptoms of Covid-19 at the end of the 10-day period.
2.2 Alternatively, asymptomatic contacts of Covid-19 positive case can be released from quarantine if they test negative from a PCR test done at the end of FIFTH DAY of quarantine.
2.3 The ease mentioned in 2.1 and 2.2 is strictly applicable for those direct contacts who are quarantined separately.
2.4 Individual(s) who are identified as a direct contact of a positive case and who have not completed the prescribed doses of a Covid-19 vaccine must complete 14 (fourteen) days of quarantine followed by a negative PCR test result at the end of this quarantine period.
Please note that the eases mentioned under 2.1 and 2.2 of this circular are only applicable for those who have completed the prescribed doses of a Covid-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) or the Maldives Food & Drug Authority, and at least 14 (fourteen) days have passed after the administration of the last required dose of the vaccine.
Those who are currently under isolation or quarantine at the time of this announcement and have fulfilled the above criteria can be released from their isolation or quarantine.
13 january 2022