The Czech Republic said on Monday it would allow critical workers such as doctors and teachers to go to work after a positive COVID-19 test, the latest European country to ease restrictions to keep services running as cases surge.
As the much more contagious Omicron variant becomes dominant and forces hundreds of thousands to isolate, the pressure is growing on health workers, police and firefighters, with teachers set to follow as schools resume after Christmas holidays.
At the same time, research showing that Omicron is less likely to fill hospital beds, especially now that many or most individuals have been vaccinated, has prompted governments to relax their isolation policies in order to protect their shattered economies.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the hours of labour lost due to the epidemic over the world in 2020 were equivalent to 258 million full-time jobs evaporating, and the figure remained around 125 million jobs last year.
In the previous three weeks, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Spain, and Belgium have all reduced quarantine durations and simplified some of the restrictions for infected workers to return to work.
Czech ministries are putting together a list of vital staff who will be permitted to continue working despite a positive test, and have suggested that health, social, and education workers, as well as drivers and other essential services such as hospital laundry, are likely to be included.
“In response to the Omicron wave, governments are demonstrating considerably less inclination to impose large lockdowns, or even minor restrictions,” said ILO economist Stefan Kuhn.
Since Christmas, France and Switzerland have both reduced the quarantine time for persons who have tested positive to seven days from ten days.
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