The provincial government outlined changes to how COVID-19 self-isolation will be handled going forward, with the new changes taking effect Friday. The move comes as Chief Medical Health Officer r. Saqib Shahab stated the strategy being adopted by the province now for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is similar to the H1N1 influenza response in 2009.

The changes that take effect on Friday will see all residents of the province who receive a positive test result for COVID-19, whether a PCR test or a rapid antigen test, will be required to self-isolate for five days from the date of the test or 24 hours after the fever has abated without the aid of medication, and after all other symptoms have been improving for 48 hours, whichever is later.

Previously, the public health order stated that unvaccinated residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 would need to isolate for 10 days.

Additionally, those who are identified as close contact of a positive COVID-19 case will no longer be required to self-isolate, regardless of the vaccination status. Those who are deemed to be a close contact to a case of COVID-19 are advised they should self-monitor for symptoms, and use rapid antigen testing for asymptomatic surveillance.

For those with children in school, they will no longer be required to notify the schools about a positive test result for the purpose of contact notification, however, those who test positive will still be required to be absent from school for the duration of the self-isolation period.

It was also announced that those who are currently self-isolating for 10 days because they tested positive for COVID-19, or are a close contact, and are unvaccinated, will be able to amend their self-isolation period as of noon Friday if they are asymptomatic. Those who have COVID-19 symptoms will still need to self-isolate until symptoms resolve.

The provincial government stated the changes to the self-isolation rules are to adapt for the challenges of the Omicron wave, taking into account the increased transmissibility of the COVID-19 variant.

In recent days, the lab-confirmed positivity rate of COVID-19 cases for the entire province has been in excess of 30 percent, with the seven-day average for new lab-confirmed cases currently at 1,236. There are 315 people in hospitals receiving treatment for COVID-19, with 33 of those people in intensive care.