That the guidelines are outdated is my opinion and conclusion. It might be from a time when staff was not as bogged down as they currently seem to be.
But if you read threads about this topic, it sure feels like a good estimate, exchanging days with weeks. Waiting 4 weeks for such an issue is not uncommon. It might fluctuate with seasons and other challenges. Like the current ddos attacks.
The wording about the strictness of the quality guidelines is a bit vague, which is not helping, when people wait for over a week.
The (blue) mods moderate the community message board. You should not expect admin/staff level information from them. Only the red ones might speak for Itch.