Large-scale Covid testing no longer necessary; Pandemic now “endemic,” says outbreak team

Large-scale testing for coronavirus is no longer necessary, said the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) in its latest advice to the Cabinet. According to the OMT, coronavirus is no longer a pandemic, but i has transitioned into an endemic phase. That means that the virus is now considered part of everyday life.

Measures against coronavirus should be equated as much as possible with "generic measures" that already apply to other respiratory infections, the OMT advised.

In principle, healthcare workers no longer have to wear a face and nose mask if they come within 1.5 meters of a patient. "That is generally no longer necessary in the current epidemiological phase," said the OMT.

The current advice to stay at home if you have symptoms, to do a self-test and to go into isolation if the test is positive, can also be scrapped as far as the OMT is concerned. The OMT said people should rely on their common sense when they develop symptoms, just as most people with a cold are now generally more careful, also regarding coming into contact with others.

The coronavirus test areas operated by the GGDs can be scaled down as far as the OMT is concerned.