The new rules on declaring the healing of Covid-19 patients and returning to work

Recently, the rules on declaring the patients with Covid as healed and the conditions under which they can return to the Community (to work, to school, etc.) have changed. These new rules reduce the period during which a positive patient has to stay in isolation, and also cut red tape, by introducing more easy procedures for declaring the patients with Covid as healed.

Thus, the order of the Ministry of Health No 2022 published in the Official Gazette No 26/09.01.2022, established the following:

• for patients declared cured of COVID-19 and for which at least 10 days have elapsed since the date of collection of the first positive test for unvaccinated persons and 7 days from the date of collection of the first positive test for vaccinated or infected persons during the previous 180 days, when re-entering the Community (workplace, educational establishment, etc.) no epidemiological opinion is required and no negative test is required for ARN SAR-Com-2;
• it is noted that the new isolation periods apply to decisions issued by the County public Health Directorate as from 10 January 2022;
• the competence to declare the patient healed is the responsibility of the family doctor, following the activity of monitoring/consulting the patient declared positive. It is to be noted that the family doctor cannot declare the patient hunted for less than 10 days from the date of collection of the first positive test for unvaccinated persons and 7 days from the date of collection of the first positive test for vaccinated or ill-vaccinated persons during the last 180 days, even if the person concerned does not show clinical signs of the disease;
• according to the same order, the state of the vine will be communicated in writing by medical letter sent using electronic means of communication at a distance to the public Health Directorate of Bucharest Municipality, which is required to enter the status of vine in the Corona Forms platform within 24 hours of receipt of the letter;
• it would be useful for employers to know that, as a result of the entry into force of the new legal provisions, they cannot require employees who have experienced the disease and have been declared cured to submit a negative SAR-CoV-2 test on return to work, on the grounds that it must ensure the health and safety of staff, as this measure is outside the legal framework. Also, since the performance of such a test is not covered by medical insurance, if the employee agrees to do the test, the consideration must be borne by the employer.