COVID-19 testing

If you are a confirmed COVID-19 case, you must:

• Isolate for 5 complete days from the time you took your test 
• This means 5 x 24 hours.
• For example, if you became a close contact or a case at 11.45 am on Monday 12 September 2022, your isolation period will not finish until 11.45 am on Saturday 17 September 2022.
• At Day 5, if symptoms are still present, continue isolating until symptoms clear.
• If no symptoms are present after Day 5, you can leave isolation. No testing is required.
• not enter high-risk settings for at least 7 days after you test positive. High-risk settings include hospitals, healthcare settings (where face-to-face services are provided), and disability, mental health and aged care residential facilities.

Mask wearing is recommended in indoor settings for two days after a 5-day isolation period (Day 6 and Day 7).

If you are a close contact, you must:

Notify your employer or educational institution that you are a close contact. Your 5-day close contact period begins from:

• For household contacts: the date the positive case took their test, regardless of whether more household members return a positive result during your isolation period.
• For other close contact: the last time you had contact with the person who tested positive.

Close contacts with no symptoms

Testing

You must take a PCR test on Day 4 or RAT on Day 5

• If negative, you can leave isolation after Day 5
• If positive:
  • Follow what to do if you test positive
  • isolate for 5 complete days after the positive test.

Leaving isolation

Close contacts with no symptoms may leave the home during their 5-day isolation period, provided that they have met certain conditions.

Close contacts with no symptoms must:

• obtain a negative result from a rapid antigen test undertaken on each day on which you propose to leave isolation
• be able to provide photographic evidence of a negative result from a rapid antigen test taken by you on that day
• wear a mask including from when you leave home until you return
• not enter high-risk settings, including hospitals, healthcare settings, and disability, mental health and aged care residential facilities, for 7 days from becoming a close contact (e.g. the 5-day close contact period and for two days after completing isolation).

If they work in a high-risk setting, they can attend work if they have received written or oral confirmation from their employer and meet other requirements:

• advise their employer that they are a close contact, and receive confirmation from their employer that they agree to the person attending work,
• be fully vaccinated,
• return a daily negative RAT prior to leaving home,
• actively monitor for symptoms,
• leave the workplace and return home immediately if they develop symptoms or test positive,
• only remain at the high-risk setting for the purpose of their work duties,
• wear a surgical mask at minimum (in addition to other PPE the employer reasonably requires),
• not share break areas with any other person in the high-risk setting, and
• use reasonable endeavours to maintain a physical distance of 1.5m from other people in the workplace.

Close contacts with no symptoms are strongly encouraged to:

• avoid non-essential gatherings and contact with people at risk of severe illness
• work from home, where possible.

Close contacts with symptoms

• Take a PCR or RAT as soon as you develop symptoms
• If the RAT returns a negative result, repeat the test 24 hours later
• If a close contact tests positive, they must isolate for 5 days after their positive test result and follow the requirements for positive COVID-19 cases.
• If your PCR test or your first RAT was on Day 5, you must continue to isolate until you are informed that the PCR returned a negative result or until your second RAT returns a negative result

• If your PCR or second RAT were negative prior to day 4, you must still take a PCR test on day 4 or RAT on day 5.

• Close contacts with symptoms must continue to isolate until symptoms resolve
• Once symptoms have resolved, close contacts who are not cases should follow the protocols for close contacts with no symptoms (see above) for the balance of the 5-day isolation period