Germany considers shortening COVID quarantine to avoid staff shortages

Various politicians and health experts in Germany are calling for the mandatory quarantine period for COVID contacts to be shortened, in order to minimise staff shortages caused by people self-isolating. 

Spread of Omicron forces Germany to review quarantine rules

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told ARD on Wednesday that the Federal Government’s Expert Council and the Robert Koch Institute are currently reviewing the quarantine period, in light of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. 

Currently, anyone who has contracted Omicron - or been in contact with someone who has - whether they be vaccinated or unvaccinated, must quarantine for 14 days. With Germany bracing itself for hundreds of thousands of daily infections - as have been seen in countries like the UK and the US - politicians are understandably concerned that hoards of people will be forced to self-isolate for a full two weeks, causing major disruption to public services and critical infrastructure that don’t support home working, particularly the healthcare system.

By shortening the mandatory quarantine period for COVID contacts, it is argued, people could return to work much sooner. Previously, the state premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, spoke out in favour of shortening the quarantine period to minimise disruption. “Of course we have to review the current quarantine rules,” Söder told Bild. “We can’t just paralyse the whole country from one day to the next in a rapidly growing epidemic.” 

Experts weigh up risks and benefits of shorter self-isolation 

However, others are concerned that the move could be risky, especially considering the infectiousness of the Omicron variant. While epidemiologists agree that positive COVID cases are less infectious after five days, not everyone is convinced that the risk is worth it. “It’s a double-edged sword,” virologist Martin Stürmer told Tagesschau. “If you shorten the quarantine, you can be more productive - but you also risk infections that could be prevented by longer isolation.” 

Several countries around the world, including the US and the UK, recently shortened the quarantine period to as little as five days for asymptomatic infected people. Other countries like Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland are debating following suit. In some countries battling with the Omicron variant, key industries like healthcare, education and the emergency services are already struggling to cope with an acute shortage of staff. 

Experts are concerned that the same thing could happen in Germany. The Federal Agency for Population Protection and Catastrophe (BBK) recently issued a recommendation that people stock their houses with a supply of candles, torches and enough food for 10 days, in case of emergency. The BBK said that, in a worst-case scenario, Germany could experience disruption like short-term blackouts. 

Several politicians have called for the Robert Koch Institute to make a statement on the subject before the upcoming coronavirus summit on January 7.