Vaccinated returnees exempted from quarantine after negative PCR

The Health Ministry, today said returnees who have received both the doses of the anti COVID-19 vaccinations will be exempted from quatantine after undergoing a PCR test upon arrival and the results come in negative.

In new guidelines issued by the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, returnees who arrive two weeks after receiving the second doses will need to produce their vaccination certificate, including an english translation if the certificate is not in english, to the airport medical officer, afterwhich they will be transported by government authorities to a facility or allocated hotel.

The returnees will then have to undergo a PCR test within 24 hours after their arrival from a health ministry approved private or state laboratory and once the results come in negative they can be released from the hotel or center issuing a discharge document by a quarantine authorithy mentioning date of PCR sample collection and PCR test result.

Returnees should arrange their own transport method to travel to their homes from the centers or hotels and should practice the recommended COVID-19 preventive measures throughout their travel. Upon arrival to their homes, the returnees should inform their area Medical Officer of Health by telephone or email and produce the discharge document issued by the quarantine authorithy. The returnees will then be exempted from quarantine while the MOH officer will then email all details of the returnees to the Ministry of Health.

All returnees must then undergo a further quarantine on the seventh day of their return from an approved private or state laboratory and their results must be informed to the area MOH officer. If inbetween the returnees develop any respiratory symptoms, they should immediately infom their area MOH officer. 

If the second PCR test result is positive, the patient must immediately inform the area MOH officer and then follow the treatment protocol set by the Ministry of Health. (JAMILA HUSAIN)