Under the current rules, people who have contracted the virus must isolate for 10 days. This is being cut to six days for people who are fully vaccinated and who have received a booster jab, provided that two rapid antigen tests taken on day five and six of isolation are both negative.

The plans announced on Wednesday are subject to approval by parliament. The isolation period will remain the same for people who are unvaccinated or for those who have not received an additional dose to their vaccination schedule in the last six months.

The cabinet under prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) also approved plans to limit the duration of vaccination certificates to 270 days, or nine months, from the date that the vaccination schedule is considered complete.

This comes after the European Commission adopted rules to ensure that certificates are accepted under the same conditions across the bloc and to encourage the update of booster shots after six months. However, the commission issued no guidance on how long certificates should remain valid once the booster dose has been administered.

The government also plans to add more exemptions from the 2G+ CovidCheck regime. Adopted on 24 December, it means that people who are recovered or are vaccinated without a booster dose must carry out an additional rapid antigen test on site.

Under the plans presented on 5 January, people with a vaccination schedule that was completed less than 180 days, or six months, ago will also be exempt from the rapid test, as are people with a recovery certificate, which is valid for only six months.