Close Contacts

People who live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 are at the highest risk of becoming infected because they are most likely to have prolonged close contact. People who stayed overnight in the household of someone with COVID-19 while they were infectious are also at high risk.

Children and young people who usually attend an education or childcare setting and who live with someone who has COVID-19 should continue to attend the setting as normal.

If you live with, or have stayed overnight in the household of, someone who has COVID-19, you are advised to:

minimise contact with the person who has COVID-19
avoid contact with anyone you know who is at higher risk of becoming severely unwell if they are infected with COVID-19, especially those with a severely weakened immune system
limit close contact with other people outside your household, especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
wear a well-fitting face covering made with multiple layers or a surgical face mask in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces and where you are in close contact with other people
pay close attention to the main symptoms of COVID-19. If you develop any of these symptoms, order a PCR test. You are advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people while you are waiting for your test result

Follow this advice for 10 days after the day the person you live or stayed with symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms).

If you are a contact of someone with COVID-19 but do not live with them or did not stay in their household overnight, you are at lower risk of becoming infected. Carefully follow the guidance on Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread.