With seemingly everyone knowing someone with Covid 19 in Wales at the momentm many people are being flagged as close contacts.
Back at the start of the pandemic this meant a long period of isolation but with vaccinations, the process of whether you actually need to self isolate is more complicated. With the country opening up it is important that we still follow the rules that remain in order to keep the level of the virus as low as possible without drastically impact our lives and the economy.
To help you keep to the rules WalesOnline has put together this article explaining exactly what the rules are for a close contact within Wales. This should help make sure you and your family are safe and stay within the guidance set down by the Welsh Government.
Read more: Need to order a lateral flow test in Wales? This is how you do it
What is a close contact?
A close contact is anyone who has had any of the following types of contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19:
- face-to-face contact including being coughed on or having a conversation within one metre
- skin-to-skin physical contact for any length of time
- contact within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact
- contact within two metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (as a one-off contact, or added up together over 1 day)
- travelled in the same vehicle or a plane
Contact tracers gather information on a particular situation when identifying close contacts. They will consider any mitigating measures that have been put in place. These may include protective screens for example. Not all contacts, activities, or environments have an equal risk of transmission. Health and social care staff who wear medical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) would not be seen as contacts. There are also a small number of other professional roles who operate with specific medical PPE, including:
- first responders
- front-line emergency workers
- immigration enforcement officers
Face coverings (including disposable masks) or visors are not classed as PPE. They are not considered to be a mitigating factor in determining a contact. The decision on whether you will be determined to be a contact and asked to self-isolate will be assessed on a case by case basis. The contact tracer will advise them that they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
If you are notified by a contact tracer that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, self-isolation and testing requirements will depend on:
- your vaccination status
- your age
- your occupation
You are fully vaccinated in this context if you:
- have completed a course of doses (i.e. 1 or 2 doses as specified in the vaccine’s authorisation) of an authorised vaccine or of a vaccine under the UK vaccine roll-out overseas, and
- the day on which you had the close contact is more than 14 days after the day on which you completed the course of doses
What do unvaccinated adults who are close contacts have to do?
The rules for unvaccinated adults who are close contacts remain very strict. These are:
- You must self-isolate for 10 days. Day one is the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive for Covid-19.
- Take a LFT test on day 2 and day 8. It is important that you take the tests even if you feel well as you may have Covid-19 even if you do not have symptoms.
- You must continue to self-isolate even if the tests are negative. This is because if you have been infected, it can take time for symptoms to develop or to become infectious to others.
- If you are not able to be vaccinated for a clinical reason, you must self-isolate for 10 days, even if your LFT is negative.
How long do fully vaccinated adults and young people aged between 5 and 17 have to isolate if they are close contacts?
You do not need to self-isolate if identified as a close contact but you should:
- take a daily LFT (unless exempt for medical reasons)
- take this daily test before you leave the house for the first time that day
- report all tests results on GOV.UK even if negative or void
Continue daily tests for seven full days after you are told you have been a contact, or until 10 days since your last contact with the person who tested positive for Covid-19 if this is earlier.
What if you then get a positive LFT?
- you must self-isolate for at least 5 full days starting from the date the LFT test was taken
- Report the result
You no longer need to book a follow-up PCR test unless you:
- have been advised to take a PCR test because you are in a clinically vulnerable group who may need early access to treatment
- have been advised to do so as part of a research or surveillance programme
