What type of contact are you?
There are different types of contacts and different rules apply. Make sure you follow the right advice for your situation.
Household contacts
- You are a household contact if you have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation or care facility.
- Your household contact period is 7 days.
- You don’t have to quarantine at all during this 7-day period, and you can leave home each day provided you:
- Continually test negative using a rapid antigen test, on at least 5 days out of the 7 day period (ensure tests are spaced at least 24 hours apart)
- wear a mask indoors when outside your home
- do not visit hospitals or care facilities
- notify your employer or education facility.
- If you do not follow these steps, you must quarantine for the 7-day period – and you are required to get tested on Day 1 and Day 6.
- If you test positive on a rapid antigen test, you must report your result and isolate for 7 days. Visit Reporting your result page for more information.
- Household contacts are also referred to as close contacts.
Social and workplace contacts
- You are a social or workplace contact if you spent more than 15 minutes face-to-face with someone who has COVID-19, or if you spent more than two hours with them in the same indoor space (such as a workplace or a restaurant)
- If you have symptoms, you must use a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if you can’t access a rapid antigen test.
- If you don’t have symptoms, you are recommended to use a daily rapid antigen test for 5 days.
- If you test positive on a rapid antigen test, you must report your result and isolate for 7 days.
Education and childcare
- An education facility (such as a school, childcare centre or early childhood education centre) will notify you that you or someone in your care was exposed there
- If experiencing symptoms, a person exposed at an education facility must use a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if they can’t access a rapid antigen test
- Staff and students at schools are recommended to undertake regular rapid antigen testing, whether they have been exposed or not.
Checklist for household contacts
-
-
Your household contact period is 7 days:
- If you are staying in the same home as the person who has COVID-19, your household contact period starts from the date they got tested (and subsequently returned a positive result).
- If you are not staying in the same home as the person who has COVID-19, your household contact period starts from the day you last saw them.
- If another person in your household tests positive during your 7 day quarantine period as a household contact (in addition to the initial case) your 7 day period doesn’t start again.
As an example of the 7-day household contact period:
- If the person you lived with got tested and returned a positive result on Monday the 1st, your household contact period ends at 12.01am of Monday the 8th
-
You must follow the household contact testing procedure to avoid self-quarantining for your household contact period:
- Use a rapid antigen test on at least 5 days of your household contact period, spaced 24 hours apart
- If you can’t access a rapid antigen test, and have symptoms, get a PCR test. You have to self-quarantine while awaiting results of a PCR test.
- You can collect a free pack of five rapid antigen tests at testing centres.
During your household contact period, keep monitoring for symptoms.
- Get tested as soon as possible if symptoms develop. If you have symptoms, you should be staying home and not exposing others.
- See what to do if symptoms worsen. Go to hospital if it’s an emergency, but let them know you’re a household contact.
If you test positive at any time:
- You must follow the checklist for cases
- You must report your result if you tested positive on a rapid antigen test.
If all your tests are negative by Day 7:
- You are released of your household contact requirements at the end of the 7 day period, no earlier
If you have had COVID-19 already in the last 4 weeks:
- After recovering from COVID-19, you are not required to get tested or quarantine if you are re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending your isolation period.
- Use a rapid antigen test on at least 5 days of your household contact period, spaced 24 hours apart
-
-
In addition to testing on 5 of your 7-day household contact period, you must follow a number of COVIDSafe steps to avoid self-quarantining:
- Wear a mask indoors when outside your home
- This only applies to people aged 8 and above
- There are limited exceptions for not wearing a mask
- Do not visit a hospital
- You can still attend hospital as a patient
- You can still visit if you are formally permitted to enter by the hospital. This may be for reasons including if you are a parent, carer or guardian of the patient, a partner or support person of a pregnant patient, an immediate family member of someone whose condition is life threatening, if you are providing end of life support.
- Do not visit a care facility
- You can still attend a care facility as a resident/patient
- You can still visit if you are providing end of life support to a resident, and you are formally permitted to enter by the facility
- See a list of care facilities
You are also required to notify your employer – or the educational facility that you or someone in your care attends – that you are a household contact if you are attending the premises during the household contact period.
- Wear a mask indoors when outside your home
-
If you cannot follow the testing and COVIDSafe requirements outlined above at any time:
- You must quarantine immediately for the remainder of your 7-day household contact period
- You must get tested on Day 1 (or as soon as possible) and Day 6 of your household contact period
While you are in quarantine:
- You can’t leave your house, unless to:
- get tested
- get medical supplies or treatment
- in an emergency (including fire or flood)
- escape the risk of harm (including family violence).
- If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, isolate from them as much as possible.
- Visit Isolation and quarantine – support and emergency relief page for information on how to get money, food and other support while in isolation or quarantine.
- This is a legal requirement. Fines apply if you don’t quarantine.
You must get tested:
- on Day 1 of your quarantine period (or as soon as possible)
- on Day 6 of your quarantine period
You must get tested on these days even if you are staying in quarantine. Use a rapid antigen test, or a PCR test if you can’t access a rapid antigen test.
You are also strongly recommended to use rapid antigen tests on other days of your quarantine period. You can collect a free pack of five rapid antigen tests at testing centres.
If you test positive at any time:
- You must follow the checklist for cases
- You must report your result if you tested positive on a rapid antigen test.
While you are in quarantine – after you’ve had your first test but before you have your final test – keep monitoring for symptoms.
- Test again if symptoms develop.
- See what to do if symptoms worsen. Go to hospital if it’s an emergency, but let them know you’re a household contact.
In order to be released from quarantine:
- You need a negative result from a test taken no earlier than Day 6 of your quarantine period.
- Use a rapid antigen test, or a PCR test if you can’t access a rapid antigen test.
If you test negative on your Day 6 test:
- You can release yourself from quarantine on Day 7 after receiving your negative result, but no earlier. You don’t need to wait for the Department to tell you that you are released.
If you have had COVID-19 already in the last 4 weeks:
- After recovering from COVID-19, you are not required to get tested or quarantine if you are re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending your isolation period.
