A healthcare worker of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to self-isolate at home for seven days.
Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says before they return to work, the healthcare worker will have to show no symptoms and test negative on the sixth and seventh day.
He says the health care workers will be required to maintain strict masking for the remainder of three days to complete the 10-day isolation requirement before they are fully discharged from isolation.
Doctor Fong adds in the unusual circumstances where the healthcare worker’s absence will severely debilitate the health service, processes will be put in place by the respective health care facility to ensure that a safe corridor of movement and work is created for asymptomatic healthcare workers while maintaining the full isolation requirements.
He further says healthcare workers of the Ministry who work in a low disease prevalence area and become a close contact of a confirmed case will be required to self-quarantine at home for 10 days with daily symptoms checking and strict COVID safe measures before they are allowed to return to work.
They must be tested if they develop symptoms.
Doctor Fong adds, however, if the healthcare worker is working in a high disease prevalence area where essential health services are at risk of being severely debilitated by a high number of healthcare workers having to quarantine or isolate, the healthcare worker will be required to return to duty at their respective health facility with strict adherence to COVID safe measures and infection prevention and control measures, undergo regular symptoms monitoring while at work, and have daily rapid antigen testing before the start of the shift.
They are to immediately stand down from duties and isolate if they develop symptoms or return a positive test.
