HPA exempts recovered patients from testing, quarantining for 3 months

Health Protection Agency (HPA) released new guidelines on Monday, exempting individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, from testing and quarantining for a period of three months since infection.

According to HPA, recovered patients will not need to undergo testing for employment purposes nor be tested as an identified contact of a positive case.

Moreover, recovered patients are exempt from quarantine policies after inter-island travel, and eliminates the need for individuals to isolate themselves in home quarantine.

The guidelines were based on scientific findings of the United States' Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that confirmed recovered patients were no longer vectors in the transmission of the virus.

"There are no confirmed reports to date of a person being reinfected with COVID-19 within three months of initial infection. However, additional research is ongoing", said CDC.

However, HPA's guidelines are only applicable to recovered people that exhibit no signs of the virus following their recovery. If exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, CDC recommends further evaluation of the patient for possible reinfection.

HPA stated that the guidelines were subject to change, following further scientific discoveries.

Maldives currently records total 6,779 confirmed and 2,530 active COVID-19 cases, along with 4,222 recoveries and 27 deaths.