Spain considering reduction in coronavirus quarantine period

Temperature testing. | Susana Vera

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterMadrid10/06/2020 13:53

Fernando Simón, director of the Centre for the Coordination of Emergencies and Health Alerts, said on Tuesday that the health ministry is considering a reduction in the length of quarantine for people who have tested positive for coronavirus from fourteen to ten days. The evidence shows, he pointed out, that from the seventh day most mild cases no longer transmit the disease.

Simón noted that the World Health Organization has issued a recent recommendation that quarantine (self-isolation) reductions should, for now, only be applied to mild cases. He added that the fourteen day quarantine was based on evidence that was available at the time and on knowledge of the most similar previous virus, SARS-1.

The evidence is "improving" and so the ministry is studying "in great detail" a possible change to the national recommendation. This will take possible transmission into account and potential load on health services.

The director was asked on Tuesday about studies which suggest that people with blood group O are not infected by coronavirus. Simón said that there may be lower probability of infection but highlighted the fact he is blood group O and had become infected. "We have no evidence to assess this hypothesis."