New York Governor Kathy Hokul has shortened the quarantine period for many important workers, despite a surge in infections due to Omicron variants.
Mary Altafer / AP
Hide captions
Switch captions
Mary Altafer / AP
New York Governor Kathy Hokul has shortened the quarantine period for many important workers, despite a surge in infections due to Omicron variants.
Mary Altafer / AP
New York Governor Kathy Hokul said most of the state’s key workers could return to work if they tested positive for the coronavirus, were fully vaccinated, and met other safety standards. I am.
Previously, workers had to leave work for at least 10 days.
Hochul said Friday that changes to the quarantine guidelines would make it easier to maintain “the key services, healthcare, transportation and grocery stores that New Yorkers need.”
Policy changes affect employees in a wide range of industries, from pharmacies and food processing plants to hospitals and taxi vehicles.
The governor announced that the infection had surged nationwide due to the Omicron variant.
In New York, authorities say the recent daily infections have dramatically increased from about 22,000 on Tuesday to more than 44,000 on Thursday.
During the Christmas Eve briefing, Hochul also pointed out data suggesting that the latest COVID strains can cause less severe infections.
“A positive case doesn’t mean you’re too sick. [to work] “We need to be hospitalized,” he said. “I want to make sure that the important workforce can be restored.”
In a statement, New York City’s deputy health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, said the impact of the winter omicron surge on the workforce was “already felt.”
“Reducing quarantine from 10 days to 5 days is wise guidance and is consistent with recent CDC guidance for healthcare professionals,” Bassett said.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new national guidance that would allow COVID-19 workers to return to work with a new negative test seven days after quarantine.
“”[T]If there is a shortage of staff, the hat isolation time can be further reduced. ”
New York officials have chosen to further shorten the quarantine period — setting state guidelines to 5 days instead of 7 days. They also said that workers who returned to work do not need to be retested.
However, employees must be fully vaccinated and wear masks in the field. It should also be asymptomatic or “mildly symptomatic” without fever for 72 hours.
In the briefing, Mr. Hokul said rising hospitalization rates also put a further burden on health care workers. She expressed sadness to those who lost their loved ones in a pandemic during the holiday season.
“Our heart is directed at this beautiful holiday-endangered family,” Hokuru said. “It takes incredible pain to know that there are vacant seats at the table.”
