Germany's top virologist thinks the standard two-week coronavirus quarantine period is far too long, Fortune reports

Research shows people are no longer infectious after five days, so that should be the limit of the quarantine period, Christian Drosten, the head of virology at Berlin's Charité hospital, said in a podcast published by the broadcaster NDR.

Drosten said it was important for quarantines not to turn into effective lockdowns. "It's no use having all kinds of school classes, all kinds of workplaces, under weeks-long quarantine," he said, explaining that shorter quarantines would prove more palatable to the public.

Germany's answer to the U.S.'s Anthony Fauci—at least, in terms of pandemic celebrity—made the recommendation shortly before Health Minister Jens Spahn ruled out the need for another nationwide lockdown of the sort seen in the early stages of the pandemic.

According to Drosten, the five-day quarantine period he is recommending should not be "wasted" on tests to confirm the COVID-19 diagnosis. Instead, he said, there should be tests after the quarantine to see whether the individual was indeed infected, and whether the person is still infectious.

Like many other countries, Germany is seeing a growing movement of people protesting against coronavirus restrictions—though it should be noted that, compared to many other countries, Germany's restrictions are by this point very light.