Daily Close Contact Testing

Here is the advice from Public Health.

 

See  Stay at home guidance for households with possible or confirmed Covid-19 and the guidance for contacts of people with confirmed Covid-19 who do not live with the person

Rather than advising a precautionary PCR test is taken for all close contacts as previously, the new guidance advises that all adults who are fully vaccinated* and children aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – are strongly advised to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test every day for 7 days from their last contact with the positive case. They should attend the school as normal, unless they have a positive result or are symptomatic, in which case they must self-isolate and get a PCR test ASAP. NHS Test and Trace will inform close contacts of the dates that testing should end. Day zero is the date of last contact when counting days for daily LFD testing.

 

In addition to daily LFDs close contacts should continue to take a precautionary approach. They are strongly advised to limit close contact with other people outside their household, especially in crowded or enclosed spaces and with anyone who is more vulnerable. They should also follow government guidance on wearing a face covering and working from home where possible. This approach should also be adopted over the holiday and on return in January.

 

Where there are rapidly increasing connected cases in a school or where there is an outbreak, enhanced local mitigation measures for staff close contacts may be advised as part of the outbreak management approach.

 

Anyone over the age of 18 years and 6 months who is not vaccinated, must isolate in line with government guidelines if they are a close contact of a positive case. They must not attend school during these 10 days regardless of a negative LFD or PCR test.

 

(* people who have had 2 doses of an approved vaccine, or those who are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or, those taking part, or have taken part, in an approved clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine).

 

You may be entitled to a one-off payment of £500 through the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment scheme if you are legally required to stay at home and self-isolate or you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate.