Senate decides not to pass new Corona isolation deadline yet

The isolation period for people with a Coronavirus infection in Berlin will not yet be reduced to five days this week.

According to spokeswoman Lisa Frerichs, the Senate discussed the matter on Tuesday (April 26, 2022), but did not yet pass a resolution. There are still open questions to be clarified, it was said in justification. Presumably, the topic will be on the agenda once again on Tuesday next week. Berlin's Senator for Health, Ulrike Gote (Green Party), gave the prospect of a shortening of the isolation period this week at a meeting in the House of Representatives on Monday. Other federal states also wanted to implement this shortening by the beginning of May, she said.

Mandatory isolation period to be reduced to five days

In the future, according to current plans, infected persons will only have to remain in isolation for five days if they are symptom-free for 48 hours. If they are not symptom-free after five days, they must remain in isolation for a correspondingly longer period. Until now, seven to ten days of isolation have been prescribed on the basis of various criteria. According to reports, however, the question of whether a corona test should be a prerequisite for ending isolation is now a matter of dispute. The Conference of Health Ministers will discuss the issue on Thursday.

Corona testing no longer required for nursing home visitors

However, the Senate decided on Tuesday to change one of the few remaining Coronavirus rules: Visitors to nursing homes will no longer have to be tested for Corona if they have been vaccinated or have recovered. Instead, each visitor must wear an FFP2 mask. Previously, a simpler surgical mask was sufficient.