‘Close contact’ workers in critical industries’ to return to work if asymptomatic

The state government has revealed the industries that will be affected by changes to close contact rules for essential workers, who will now be allowed to leave quarantine and return to work if they have no symptoms of Covid-19.

Close contact healthcare workers, emergency service employees, teachers and more will be allowed to return to work if they’ve been in quarantine, so long as they meet the health requirements.

From today, asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts from critical industries will be able to leave quarantine to return to work if they haven’t tested positive for the virus.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that it was important to ensure critical essential workers could continue to work during this time.

“We have to be agile in making sure we still have critical services operating,” she said.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath announced close contacts can now return to work in some circumstances. Picture: Liam Kidston

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the move was restricted to a narrow range of industries to ensure essential services and supplies like groceries, petrol, energy, water, freight and others could continue.

Workers would still need to comply with a number of measures including being double jabbed, travelling to and from work in a private vehicle, wearing appropriate PPE, maintaining personal hygiene and undertaking regular symptom surveillance including a rapid antigen test on day 6, in line with the current close contact requirements.

If at any time symptoms developed, the worker would need to return to quarantine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was important to keep essential services running while the current wave continues.

“People need to be able to have their lights on, have food in the fridge and have running water,” she said.

“We want to ensure our hospitals are staffed, food continues to be delivered to our supermarkets and we can still fill our cars at the petrol station.”

A ‘critically essential worker’ is someone employed in one of the following industries, who must be in the workplace to do their job:

– health

– emergency services, including police

– the resource sector

– power/utilities

– agriculture and fisheries production

– freight and logistics

– public transport

– teachers

– essential retail such as supermarkets and stores in remote locations/communities

– major manufacturing, distribution, and critical supply chains (for example food and petrol).