Explained: What to do if you are confirmed as a casual or a close Covid contact

By law, close contacts must self-isolate, and heavy penalties can apply if Public Health Orders are not followed.

Casual and close contacts are required to get a Covid-19 test at the closest location. Picture: NCA Newswire /Gaye Gerard

Besides “pivoting”, “social distancing”, and “unprecedented situations”, one of the concepts the community is presented with daily during the current pandemic is “contacts” of positive cases.

The current Northern Rivers Covid cases, and previous cases at Chinderah and Ballina Airport, meant many local residents had become close or casual contacts of a Covid infected person.

Casual contacts

According to NSW Health’s website, a casual contact was “someone who has been near a person with infectious Covid-19 but who is at lower risk of getting Covid-19 than a close contact”.

All casual contacts need to get tested and self-isolate immediately until they get a negative result from a Covid-19 test.

People can find our they are close contacts in two ways – they may be contacted by NSW Health via text or phone, or they may check the Covid-19 case locations and venues of concern and realise they had been at that location at the times listed.

If you were at the casual contact at a listed location less than four days ago, get a Covid-19 test and self-isolate, but then you are required to get another Covid -19 test on day five after you were at the casual contact place.

People can stop self-isolating when they get a negative result from their first test – but they are required to wear a mask when in the same room as any other person, do not leave their home except if this is necessary, or to exercise outdoors, and go to work only if this is essential for their workplace.

What does self-isolation mean?

Self-isolation means people must stay at their home or accommodation, and stay apart from other people at all times, including the people they live with.

They cannot leave their home or accommodation, unless for medical care (including a Covid-19 test), or in an emergency.

They must not allow other people into their home or accommodation unless they usually live there, or they are entering for medical or emergency purposes.

Self-isolation is different from stay-at-home directions.

When people self-isolate, they are not allowed to leave the house for outdoor exercise, shopping, work or education.

Other members of their household do not need to self-isolate during this period.

Close contacts

A close contact is someone who has been close to a person with infectious Covid-19 and might have become infected with the Covid-19 virus.

There are three ways to know if someone is a close contact:

• Someone in your home or who you have been near gets Covid-19
• Someone who gets a text or phone call from NSW Health telling them they are a close contact
• Someone who sees the list of Covid-19 case locations and venues of concern that they have been to a close contact place on the day and time that an infectious person was there.

People this happens to are required to call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.

If they are a close contact of a person with Covid-19, they must self-isolate from other people for 14 days since they were exposed.

They must get tested for Covid-19 as soon as possible, even if they don’t have symptoms.

If they are a close contact, they should ask some people — who are secondary close contacts — to get tested and to self-isolate until they get a negative test result:

• Everyone you share your home with
• Everyone who has been in your home since they were exposed to Covid-19
• Everyone whose home they have visited since they were exposed to COVID-19
• Friends they have shared a confined space with, such as a car, since they were exposed to Covid-19.

If any of the secondary close contacts are a healthcare worker who needs to return to work before the close contact receive a negative test result, they should speak to their manager for a risk assessment.

By law, close contacts must self-isolate themselves. Self-isolation is required under the Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order and penalties can apply if the Order is not followed.

Further information can be obtained from the NSW Health website.