Guidelines for a close contact in Queensland - COVID-19

Who these guidelines apply to

These guidelines apply to a person in Queensland that has been exposed to COVID-19 and is a close contact.

You are a close contact if:

• you live with a person that has COVID-19 or
• you have been with a person that has COVID-19 for more than four hours in a house or other accommodation.

As a close contact, you are at increased risk of developing COVID-19 and need to take steps to protect yourself and people around you. You should follow these guidelines for a full 5 days from the date the person diagnosed with COVID-19 took the test that returned a positive result.

If you develop any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection you should follow the Guidelines for a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or symptoms of an acute respiratory infection and get tested for COVID-19.

These guidelines align with the current COVID-19 CDNA National Guidelines for Public Health Units. They have been developed to provide evidence-based information and advice to people on managing symptoms of COVID-19. However, some people are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Additional public health measures are strongly recommended to be taken to protect groups at high risk of severe disease and in certain high-risk settings.

These guidelines have been developed by Queensland Health as public health advice and are not a legal requirement under a Public Health Direction or other legislated framework.

Protecting yourself from COVID-19 transmission

In times of widespread community transmission, it is important for everyone to take personal actions to minimise transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Evidence has shown that universal public health measures are simple and effective in reducing COVID-19 transmission where a range of measures are applied by individuals, communities and organisations, such as:

• wearing a face mask covering your nose and mouth when indoors or where physical distancing cannot be maintained outdoors
• washing your hands regularly
• practicing good respiratory hygiene (such as covering your cough)
• maintaining physical distance from others
• ensuring good ventilation and improving indoor air quality (such as opening windows, leaving a door open when people are gathered in a meeting.

What to do if you become a close contact

While contact tracing and isolation are effective measures against COVID-19 transmission, they are resource intensive and disruptive to society.

In the context of widespread community transmission, unless a close contact has any acute respiratory symptoms or where there is significant concern for a new variant of COVID-19, we recommend management of close contacts should be prioritised in high-risk settings.

While you are a close contact and do not have any acute respiratory symptoms, you should follow additional measures to enhance your protection against the risk of transmission of COVID-19. We recommend that for the 5 days after the date of the positive COVID-19 test, in addition to following the universal public health measures above, you should also:

• wear a face mask covering your nose and mouth whenever you are in an indoor setting outside the home
• work or study from home, where feasible and with the agreement of your workplace
• avoid entering a high-risk setting
• avoid contact with people at risk of severe illness
• monitor for any acute respiratory symptoms and follow the Guidelines for a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or symptoms of an acute respiratory infection if you become symptomatic.

Attending work or school while you are a close contact

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, some employers or education settings may impose restrictions or conditions on people who are close contacts. You may be required to notify your employer or education provider if you become a close contact. You should follow any additional requirements put in place by your employer or education provider to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

If returning to work or school while you are a close contact, you should also:

• wear a face mask covering your nose and mouth whenever you are in an indoor setting outside the home (masks are recommended for children over the age of 12, and for any children under the age of 12 where it is safe for them to do so)
• avoid contact with people who are a higher risk of severe disease
• wash your hands regularly
• practice good respiratory hygiene (such as covering your cough)
• monitor for any acute respiratory symptoms and follow the Guidelines for a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or symptoms of an acute respiratory infection if you become symptomatic.

Protecting against COVID-19 risks in the workplace

Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 employers should take all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of workers, including protecting against COVID-19 risks.

Workplaces and businesses should undertake a workplace assessment to identify the level of risk of COVID-19 transmission and seek independent advice to inform any control measures to assist in managing work health and safety obligations.

Workplaces can adopt a hierarchy of controls to mitigate against the introduction and spread of COVID-19, including:

• workers self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms and not attending work if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are otherwise unwell, or taking additional precautions in the workplace while they are a close contact
• promoting basic transmission prevention or reduction measures such as personal hygiene practices, physical distancing and ventilation
• effective and timely communication about COVID-19 and ongoing workplace safety training
• promoting application of standard and transmission-based precautions through education and training
• providing and promoting use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the workplace, such as a face mask, relevant to the immediate risk environment. Employers should respect and support requests by an employee to use a higher level of PPE than required by the workplace.

High-risk settings

Some settings and workplaces are considered higher risk because there are people more vulnerable or at higher risk of severe disease or higher risk of widespread transmission of COVID-19.

In Queensland, high-risk settings include a:

• hospital
• residential aged care facility
• disability accommodation service.

Queensland Health recommends that you should avoid entering a high-risk setting for the 5 days after the date of the positive COVID-19 test.

There are specific considerations for facility operators and staff in these settings to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Operators may impose restrictions or conditions to reduce the risks in that setting, such as:

• isolation processes for patients and residents
• conditions or restrictions for staff attending work as a close contact
• conditions or restrictions on visitors attending the high-risk setting, such as a requirement to wear a face mask or take other precautions.

If you are a patient or resident of a high-risk setting and you are a close contact you should notify your facility so they can appropriately implement local processes to reduce the risk of transmission within the facility.

You should comply with any additional requirements or conditions put in place by an operator to reduce widespread transmission of COVID-19 in a high-risk setting.

If you are a close contact and there are extenuating compassionate reasons for visiting a high-risk setting (e.g., an end-of-life visit), you should contact the facility to discuss how this can be safely arranged.

There are no restrictions or limitations when entering a high-risk facility if you require medical care, are giving birth or are a birthing support person, or if you are receiving, or supporting someone to receive, aged care or disability services.

However, you should advise the facility you are a close contact and follow any directions provided to manage to protect patients, residents, clients, visitors and staff.

Outside of the facilities and services mentioned above, you should consider what extra precautions and personal actions you can take to protect vulnerable family or community members, such as wearing a face mask even if you are well, cleaning your hands regularly, and staying away and testing if you have any acute respiratory symptoms.

Monitor for acute respiratory symptoms and follow the Guidelines for a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or symptoms of an acute respiratory infection if you notice any symptoms.

Working in a high-risk workplace or setting while you are a close contact

If you become a close contact and work in a high-risk setting, you should work from home where possible. You should talk to your employer to discuss options available to you and any additional measures to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission in your workplace.

If you work in a high-risk setting and become a close contact, you should only return to your workplace:

• with the agreement of your employer, and
• you do not have any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection.

You should follow any additional requirements or conditions put in place by an operator or business to reduce the risks to staff and others in that setting as prescribed by Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare and Infection prevention and control guidance (including PPE advice).

Casual workers in some setting may be eligible for targeted financial support where they are unable to attend work due to COVID-19.

What to do if you develop any acute respiratory infection symptoms after becoming a close contact

You should monitor yourself for any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection for at least a week from when the diagnosed person received a positive COVID-19 test.

If you develop any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection you should follow the Guidelines for a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or symptoms of an acute respiratory infection and get tested for COVID-19.

Symptoms of an acute respiratory infection include the recent onset of new or worsening respiratory symptoms including cough, breathing difficulty, sore throat or runny nose/nasal congestion with or without other symptoms.

Other symptoms may include:

• headache, muscle aches (myalgia), fatigue, nausea or vomiting and diarrhoea. Loss of smell and taste and loss of appetite can also occur with COVID-19, but may be less common with new variants
• fever (≥37.5°C) can occur, however is less common in elderly individuals
• in the elderly, other symptoms to consider are new onset or increase in confusion, change in behaviour, falling, or exacerbation of underlying chronic illness (e.g. increasing shortness of breath in someone with congestive heart failure).

The healthdirect Australia COVID-19 Symptom Checker can help you understand symptoms and possible signs of illness, causes and complications and guide you to the appropriate healthcare action.

If you are immunocompromised, it is especially important for you to seek medical advice and testing, if recommended by your doctor, as COVID‑19 reinfection may be more likely.

Re-exposure and reinfection after recovering from COVID-19

Reinfection is possible following a recent or prior recovery from COVID-19. Different strains of COVID-19 are more likely to cause reinfections than others and people who are significantly immunocompromised are at greater risk of reinfection.

If you have previously recovered from COVID-19 and at least 35 days have passed since receiving a positive COVID-19 test result it is possible for you to be reinfected. If you come into contact with a COVID-19 case you should follow the guidelines on this page.

If you have any symptoms of an acute respiratory infection and at least 35 days have passed since receiving a positive COVID-19 test result you should get tested for COVID-19.