While more and more countries around the world no longer require people to self-isolate if they contract coronavirus, in Germany a 10-day quarantine is still enforced for people who tested positive. Some prominent figures are calling for this to change. 

Andreas Gassen calls for shorter isolation periods to alleviate staff shortages

Andreas Gassen, the head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), has called for Germany to reduce mandatory quarantine periods for people who test positive for COVID-19 but still don’t show symptoms. 

“It no longer makes sense to send people who are infected but don’t have symptoms into a 10-day isolation,” Gassen told ZDF, emphasising that instead everyone should be allowed to return to work as soon as possible. “In this way, we could prevent staff shortages,” he said, adding that hospitals and other workplaces were still struggling with a high number of infected staff. 

Noting that most people take at least 10 days off work following a positive COVID test, Gassen asserted, “That is more a result of the applicable regulations than the burden of illness.” He said the current regulations were out of step with the Omicron variant of COVID, which in most cases causes a mild illness with typical cold symptoms. He said new rules were needed. 

Workers’ unions urge caution to protect employees

However, several workers’ unions in Germany responded to Gassen’s comments with a call for caution. The chairperson of the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), Guido Zeitler, told the Funke Media Group, “In their own interest, employers are urgently requested to continue to do everything possible to protect their employees and guests.” 

He appealed to employers to continue offering their workers free coronavirus tests, emphasising that rather than loosening self-isolation rules, the answer was to continue to try to prevent infections in the workplace, in view of “record incidence rates, record rates of sick leave and the already tense personnel situation.” 

The biggest union in Germany, ver.di, also told Funke that it was in favour of keeping protective measures in place to prevent infections in the workplace, such as mask-wearing rules. Board member Stefanie Nutzberger said that many employees were very worried: “They have literally kept the shop running for two years now during the pandemic and have the right to be protected,” she said.