need for "medical clearance for de-isolation" and instead allow patients to leave isolation as soon as they hit day 10. With all the twists and turns, many Australians begin to wonder to what extent the "official health advice" was being influenced by political or economic pressures. Many question whether the government's desire for people to not spend too much time off work could see medical experts pushed into recommending iso periods that prioritised economic productivity over health and safety. 30th of December 2021 The official isolation period is shortened again to just seven days.
An interesting inclusion in the new seven day quarantine is that the patient must also produce a negative RAT on their sixth day of isolation before leaving. The new rule is inherently flawed. Australia is experiencing a RAT shortage, making them extremely hard to come by and extremely overpriced. Making them a requirement for leaving
31st of December 2021 The day after Scott Morrision announces that a negative RAT would be required for leaving isolation, he backtracks, announcing that a positive case can now leave on day seven no matter what. This is probably the quickest backflip we've seen from the Prime Minister. With the two announcements occurring within twenty-four hours of each other, this backflip encompasses incredible efficiency and "Cirque-du-de-Soleil" level technique. While Morrison is praised for the equitability of taking away this requirement, many Aussies are left wishing the federal Government could make informed, measured policy decisions that do not have to be changed week-to-week or even day-to-day.
POLITICS
This change seems to mark a shift in the way politicians are treating Omicron - it is not only a health crisis but a tremendous burden to the workforce. During the press conference where the change is announced, Scott Morrison states that "we need rules for the Omicron variant so we can keep our economy working, we can keep people in jobs, we can keep Australia open". The backflips in health policies continue to leave Australians confused and uncertain. The fact that isolation periods went from 14 to 7 days in just over two weeks is due, in part, to updating health advice. However, the constant readjustment of rules also seems symptomatic of a government that consistently waits until an issue becomes completely out of control before deciding to tackle it.
iso is downright inequitable. Despite these flaws, the RAT rule did seem more in line with the advice from medical experts; the point of isolation, after all, is to ensure that positive cases are not in the community while infectious.
20th of January 2022 There have been talks in the Federal Government about shortening the isolation period to only five days. The decision is still up in the air, but what is clear is that it is completely against health advice. Recent studies show that “30% of cases are still infectious on day five.” With such high numbers already, this could be devastating to the Australian population. The constant shortening of isolation periods seems dangerous and unfounded. At this rate, the next announcement from NSW Health will state that the new official isolation period will entail just a smoke break and a panadol.
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