Home quarantine proposed for returning children under 16

If parents fully vaccinated against Covid-19 return from abroad with children ineligible for vaccination, it is under consideration to make them sign an undertaking to keep the children under home quarantine for seven days."An announcement in this regard will be issued soon," Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), told the weekly Instagram Question and Answer programme Wednesday.Children under 16 are not eligible for the vaccination against Covid-19. "If the child is above 16 and for some reason did not take the vaccine, they have to be quarantined along with a parent. Also, if one parent is not vaccinated, they will have to stay with the child in quarantine,” she explained.“Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are equally safe and effective. Pfizer vaccine is safe for asthmatic and highly recommended," the official said while answering questions. Those who have registered for Covid-19 vaccination will be contacted as per the priority basis. The duration of Covid-19 vaccination validity for three months may be changed, according to Dr al-Bayat."The currently set validity does not mean the vaccine is valid only for three months. Studies are on in this regard," she added.