Due to the high infectivity of the omikron variant of the corona virus, corona infections are rising rapidly. This not only puts pressure on the test centres, but the quarantines that accompany them also threaten to have a major impact on the economy. The number of workers forced into quarantine is increasing.
Employers’ organisations therefore called for more flexible quarantine and testing rules. Scientists were more reticent: virologists Marc Van Ranst and Steven Van Gucht pointed out that it would be “not a good idea”, purely scientifically speaking, to relax the rules.
The health ministers of our country decided today during an inter-ministerial conference (IMC):
– **Vaccinated persons who received a shot (second vaccine or booster) within the last five months are no longer required to undergo PCR testing or quarantine after a high-risk contact.**
– **Vaccinated persons who have not received a vaccine or booster in the last five months still have to undergo a 10 day quarantine after a high-risk contact. They may be released from quarantine from day 4 if they have daily negative self-tests up to and including day 10.**
– **Those who have not been vaccinated must also spend ten days in quarantine after a high-risk contact, but may only leave on day 7. From then on, they must also submit daily negative self-tests.**
– **Those infected with the coronavirus must still be isolated. However, the isolation period is shortened from 10 days to 7 days. Those who no longer have complaints may leave isolation with a negative self-test.**
– **The new rules go into effect on 10 January.**
These new rules will completely eliminate the use of PCR testing in high-risk contacts. PCR tests will only be used to determine infections, not to get out of quarantine. Also, PCR tests will no longer be required to get out of isolation, a negative self-test will suffice. This should reduce the pressure on the test centres.
From a business perspective this makes sense. From a national health perspective it doesn’t. However they are in agreement on 1 thing: if you’re in the cultuursector u can eat shit.
The rest of u get back to work chop chop
Waw, this is a disaster waiting to happen. And who is going to check all that?
Laat ons eerlijk zijn, er kan toch geen kat meer volgen?
Government really is keen on sacrificing it all for the good of the economy, hu. The ultimate stick your head in the sand and nothing is wrong move.
Sorry maar als je de quarantaine regels kunt versoepelen kunde ook de cultuursector op volledige capaciteit laten doorgaan. Onder het motto “T’mag weer geen geld kosten”
Vorige week: “zelftesten zijn niet zo effectief in besmetting met Omicron opsporen”
Deze week: “om Omicron te bevechten gaan we massaal overschakelen naar zelftesten”
Koop een pak zelftesten, leg ze een nachtje in de vriezer of 10 minuten in de oven en je bent verzekerd van een winter zonder positieve test.
Pretty sure all self-tests I have done explicitly say that the results aren’t reliable anymore after 20 to 30 minutes… So either you need to do them on the spot wherever you go, or we’re fully relying on the honor system from now on.
this doesn’t seem like a smart move how do other country’s do it?
i mean this new varriant is so much easyer to spread around as it was and now you can just keep roaming around and become a “superspreader” ok you get sick milder… but and i know my IQ is verry low it seems like this can end up making more people sick and put them in quarantines easyer wich in the end will still screw with the economy they are so trying to save…
Anyone know if this will apply to people visiting from a red country (ie: the UK)? I’m looking to relocate to Belgium in the coming months and currently need to:
>* do a pre-departure test. This can be a RAT test either the day before arrival or the day of arrival or PCR test no more than 72 hours before you arrive in Belgium. This test must be negative
* take a PCR test on day 1 after arrival and quarantine until you receive a negative result
I disagree with this way of thought:
– They can’t differentiate between Omikron and Delta. While Omikron has all characteristics of the common cold, Delta is still a dangerous form that manifests in the lungs. There is no way to differentiate between the 2 from a simple PCR test. Sending these people to work after 4 days is asking for a infection of their co-workers where some have no vaccine or co-morbidity making them susceptible to a harsh sickness of Delta variant.
– Vaccination with spike proteins of the Alpha variant have shown not being able to stop infection with Delta variant. Assuming the booster that is based on the same Alpha variant spike protein will stop infection with Omikron is based on what exactly?
– This rule is another example of bad policy that make it confusing for everyone. Also, your employer can’t check your vaccination status, so who will check if they completed the correct amount of quarantine days?
However:
The reproductive value of Omikron is 7-10, alpha was 2-3 and Delta 5-6. Statistically we will all get Omikron this year. The current quarantine system is not feasible, because otherwise it would cause a temporary collapse of our logistics, medical system. I think at some point, they’ll allow infected doctors and nurses to work due to personnel shortages.
Addendum: My uncle who is on benefits and can buy self-tests for 1 EUR and resells them for 5 EUR will make a ton of money.
Make that the cat wise
Wait till they realize senior care doesnt have staff enough to isolate the positive asymptomatic workers…
Cu guys in the next wave
So if you have a high risk contact now your expected to shell out 40-80 euros for self tests with questionable efficacy on omicron vs the free PCR test before. Great.
No test and no quarantine? I’m sorry but I couldn’t live with myself if I infected someone else and they DIED!
Don’t you loose a lot of data to track the progress if everyone is doing self tests?
I don’t really get this anymore. How can stopping PCR test and quarantine be beneficial in the wake of the 5th wave?! You’d think they’ll try to brace even more to go over it…
Saving the economy ok, but you might interpret this as bosses carrying more about their money than the health of the people…
21 comments
Due to the high infectivity of the omikron variant of the corona virus, corona infections are rising rapidly. This not only puts pressure on the test centres, but the quarantines that accompany them also threaten to have a major impact on the economy. The number of workers forced into quarantine is increasing.
Employers’ organisations therefore called for more flexible quarantine and testing rules. Scientists were more reticent: virologists Marc Van Ranst and Steven Van Gucht pointed out that it would be “not a good idea”, purely scientifically speaking, to relax the rules.
The health ministers of our country decided today during an inter-ministerial conference (IMC):
– **Vaccinated persons who received a shot (second vaccine or booster) within the last five months are no longer required to undergo PCR testing or quarantine after a high-risk contact.**
– **Vaccinated persons who have not received a vaccine or booster in the last five months still have to undergo a 10 day quarantine after a high-risk contact. They may be released from quarantine from day 4 if they have daily negative self-tests up to and including day 10.**
– **Those who have not been vaccinated must also spend ten days in quarantine after a high-risk contact, but may only leave on day 7. From then on, they must also submit daily negative self-tests.**
– **Those infected with the coronavirus must still be isolated. However, the isolation period is shortened from 10 days to 7 days. Those who no longer have complaints may leave isolation with a negative self-test.**
– **The new rules go into effect on 10 January.**
These new rules will completely eliminate the use of PCR testing in high-risk contacts. PCR tests will only be used to determine infections, not to get out of quarantine. Also, PCR tests will no longer be required to get out of isolation, a negative self-test will suffice. This should reduce the pressure on the test centres.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
From a business perspective this makes sense. From a national health perspective it doesn’t. However they are in agreement on 1 thing: if you’re in the cultuursector u can eat shit.
The rest of u get back to work chop chop
Waw, this is a disaster waiting to happen. And who is going to check all that?
Laat ons eerlijk zijn, er kan toch geen kat meer volgen?
Government really is keen on sacrificing it all for the good of the economy, hu. The ultimate stick your head in the sand and nothing is wrong move.
Sorry maar als je de quarantaine regels kunt versoepelen kunde ook de cultuursector op volledige capaciteit laten doorgaan. Onder het motto “T’mag weer geen geld kosten”
Vorige week: “zelftesten zijn niet zo effectief in besmetting met Omicron opsporen”
Deze week: “om Omicron te bevechten gaan we massaal overschakelen naar zelftesten”
Koop een pak zelftesten, leg ze een nachtje in de vriezer of 10 minuten in de oven en je bent verzekerd van een winter zonder positieve test.
Pretty sure all self-tests I have done explicitly say that the results aren’t reliable anymore after 20 to 30 minutes… So either you need to do them on the spot wherever you go, or we’re fully relying on the honor system from now on.
this doesn’t seem like a smart move how do other country’s do it?
i mean this new varriant is so much easyer to spread around as it was and now you can just keep roaming around and become a “superspreader” ok you get sick milder… but and i know my IQ is verry low it seems like this can end up making more people sick and put them in quarantines easyer wich in the end will still screw with the economy they are so trying to save…
[Government deciding covid rules be like](https://c.tenor.com/gN1gyhbkZkEAAAAC/south-park-chicken.gif)
Anyone know if this will apply to people visiting from a red country (ie: the UK)? I’m looking to relocate to Belgium in the coming months and currently need to:
>* do a pre-departure test. This can be a RAT test either the day before arrival or the day of arrival or PCR test no more than 72 hours before you arrive in Belgium. This test must be negative
* take a PCR test on day 1 after arrival and quarantine until you receive a negative result
I disagree with this way of thought:
– They can’t differentiate between Omikron and Delta. While Omikron has all characteristics of the common cold, Delta is still a dangerous form that manifests in the lungs. There is no way to differentiate between the 2 from a simple PCR test. Sending these people to work after 4 days is asking for a infection of their co-workers where some have no vaccine or co-morbidity making them susceptible to a harsh sickness of Delta variant.
– Vaccination with spike proteins of the Alpha variant have shown not being able to stop infection with Delta variant. Assuming the booster that is based on the same Alpha variant spike protein will stop infection with Omikron is based on what exactly?
– This rule is another example of bad policy that make it confusing for everyone. Also, your employer can’t check your vaccination status, so who will check if they completed the correct amount of quarantine days?
However:
The reproductive value of Omikron is 7-10, alpha was 2-3 and Delta 5-6. Statistically we will all get Omikron this year. The current quarantine system is not feasible, because otherwise it would cause a temporary collapse of our logistics, medical system. I think at some point, they’ll allow infected doctors and nurses to work due to personnel shortages.
Addendum: My uncle who is on benefits and can buy self-tests for 1 EUR and resells them for 5 EUR will make a ton of money.
Make that the cat wise
Wait till they realize senior care doesnt have staff enough to isolate the positive asymptomatic workers…
Cu guys in the next wave
So if you have a high risk contact now your expected to shell out 40-80 euros for self tests with questionable efficacy on omicron vs the free PCR test before. Great.
No test and no quarantine? I’m sorry but I couldn’t live with myself if I infected someone else and they DIED!
Don’t you loose a lot of data to track the progress if everyone is doing self tests?
[Media currently trying to explain new guidelines](https://c.tenor.com/fPm3oOjlc0YAAAAC/amen.gif)
As if someone still cares
I don’t really get this anymore. How can stopping PCR test and quarantine be beneficial in the wake of the 5th wave?! You’d think they’ll try to brace even more to go over it…
Saving the economy ok, but you might interpret this as bosses carrying more about their money than the health of the people…