The end of the state of international emergency does not erase the virus which, warns the WHO, cannot be eradicated nor does it automatically disappear some measures. Like the 5-day isolation for those who are positive, which at the moment remains. This was explained by the director of planning of the Ministry of Health, Gianni Rezza, at the end of his tenure at the dicastery. There is therefore no automatism in Italy for the decadence of the rules, but the issue could be taken into consideration even if at the moment it does not seem to be on the table.

The circular that had regulated the isolation of positives was issued last December 31: those infected with the Covid virus are required to stay at home for 5 days. The act does not contain an expiration date. For cases that have always been asymptomatic and for those who have not had symptoms for at least 2 days, isolation may end after 5 days from the first positive test or the appearance of symptoms, regardless of whether the antigenic or molecular test has been performed. For cases that have always been asymptomatic, isolation may end even before 5 days if an antigenic or molecular test carried out at a health facility or pharmacy is negative.

The newly issued rules on masks in health facilities also remain in force: mandatory in RSA and some departments. And here comes a manual, drawn up by the Italian Federation of General Practitioners of the Fimmg and the pediatricians of the Fimp, to decide independently and on the basis of the contingent situation if and how to make the use of masks mandatory in studies and ensure the containment of infectious risk.

At the moment, finally, some rules for work such as smart working for the fragile are also in place until June 30th. Moreover, warns the WHO, caution is still necessary. "It is very unlikely, if not impossible, to eliminate Covid completely. We can end the emergency, but we cannot end the virus," said the executive director of the World Health Organization's health emergencies programme, Michael Ryan, during a live broadcast organized by the WHO. "Transmission routes from animals to humans complicate the situation, but we can address the consequences and possible health emergencies," Ryan added, citing some criteria for the definition of virus eradication. "What we see - he underlined - is that the virus has evolved rapidly, it can pass from humans to animals and from animals to humans. This is why it can hide in different spaces, not only in humans." All conditions that make it difficult for Ryan to talk about eradication or elimination. However, he concluded, it is possible to eliminate "the threat to public health" through vaccination that remains recommended and the protection of masks in some contexts, in particular for the most fragile.