“The update of DGS Norm 015/2020 concludes the end of the indication of prophylactic isolation of high-risk contacts of confirmed cases of Covid-19”, the organisation led by Graça Freitas said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Government announced that high-risk contacts would no longer be in confinement, and only people who test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be in isolation.

“There is no longer the possibility of confinement for risky contacts. From the entry into force of this resolution, confinements are only for people who test positive, whether or not they have symptoms,” said the Minister of State and Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva.

The update of the standards recommends that high-risk contacts preferably resort to the rapid professional antigen test (TRAg).

“The first should be performed as early as possible after the date of the last exposure to the confirmed case and the second (after a first negative test or in the absence of the first test performed) between the third and fifth day from the date of the last exposure,” the statement said.

The DGS also established that high-risk contacts can also carry out a self-test, except in institutions that support or host the most vulnerable populations.

"In case the self-test result is positive, a confirmation test must be carried out by TAAN or professional use TRAg, preferably within 24 hours", said the DGS.