The Health Ministry said March 24 that testing people with mild symptoms staying at home will not be prioritized in order to increase test efficiency and save healthcare resources.
The state will continue to pay for tests for people who show symptoms after staying abroad or being in contact with an infected person.
But testing will now shift focus towards at-risk groups, such as:
- Patients with pneumonia and an unspecified respiratory infection;
- Patients who require intensive treatment;
- Hospitalized patients with an acute respiratory infection that appeared after being stationed;
- Police, firefighters, border guard and other service employees with an acute respiratory infection;
- Pharmacists and their assistants showing symptoms;
- Medics showing symptoms;
- Social employees working with the elderly;
But Covid-19 tests will not be carried out for relatives of people sharing a household with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as people returning from a stay abroad who can't get to a testing point in a private car.
Tests will likewise be cut for people who have returned from a stay abroad. They have to go into quarantine at home and can return after symptoms have disappeared and two control tests have been carried out as per a GPs suggestion.
