Health experts say Italy faces paralysis under quarantine rules

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a face mask waits for a tram, as the region of Lazio makes face masks mandatory outdoors in all areas, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases rise and Christmas nears, in Rome, Italy, December 23, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ROME (Reuters) - Health experts urged the Italian government on Monday to relax COVID-19 quarantine rules, saying that the country otherwise risked paralysis as the highly infectious Omicron variant spreads.

Under current rules, people who have come into close contact with a COVID-19 sufferer have to self-isolate for seven days if they are vaccinated and for 10 days if they have not had a shot.