I am a contact of a case

This page was last updated on 1 December 2021.

Advice for contacts of confirmed/possible cases of Omicron variant

Contacts of confirmed or suspected cases of the Omicron variant will be notified by Public Health. These contacts will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, or until the case they were in contact with is confirmed to be of the Delta or other lineage, regardless of their age or vaccination status and will be asked to take a PCR test. If the case is not the Omicron variant after sequencing the contact can then be released to follow the existing requirements for contacts.

Contacts of confirmed/possible cases must separate, where possible, from the rest of the household and isolate correctly. Read more.

Cases of suspected Omicron variant will include all cases arising in people who have recently travelled to a UK ‘Red List’ country pending genomic sequencing. If you believe you are the close contact of an Omicron variant case and you have not been contacted by the Public Health team, please call 01481 224127 / 01481 227311 or email contacttrace@gov.gg

The following guidance is for contacts of cases that are expected to be the Delta variant.

Please see separate guidance above for contacts of confirmed/possible cases of Omicron variant.

What do I have to do?

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I am a household close contact

If you are living in the same household as a positive case (or cases), whether all the time or some of the time, you are considered as household close contact. Below are the requirements of household close contacts

For those aged 19 or over and fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from when the case tested positive. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from when the case tested positive.
For those aged 19 or over who are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to stay at home for 10 days from when the case tested positive. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from when the case tested positive and take a PCR test around day 5 post contact. You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311, giving reference to the ‘PH Number’ which the Contact Tracer has provided to the case, to discuss the ‘Stay at Home’ requirements and to organise the PCR test.
For those aged under 19 (but aged 12 months or over): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days following on from when the case tested positive. You will also be asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days following on from when the case tested positive. For those aged 12 months to 5 years, if the parent/guardian would prefer, Public Health can arrange for two PCR tests (administered by a health professional) to be taken in replacement of daily LFT testing. Those wishing to take up this option should follow the guidance for ‘those under 12 months’ instead.
For those aged under 12 months: the requirement is to follow the passive follow up requirements for 10 days from when the case tested positive. Contacts in this age group are also asked to take two PCR tests. A parent or other person with parental responsibility should email contacttrace@gov.gg or call 01481 224127, giving reference to the 'PH number' advised by the case, and a contact tracer will call back to organise this. Infants who are household contacts of cases should not attend any nursery or Early Years setting until a negative result from the first PCR test is received.

If you or any of your household receive a positive result from a lateral flow test please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220 001 or 220 002 to book a PCR test.

I am a close contact (not a household close contact)

If you are aged 19 or over and fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case.
If you are aged 19 or over and are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to stay at home for 10 days following on from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case and take a PCR test around day 5 post contact. You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311 to discuss the ‘Stay at Home’ requirements and to organise the PCR test.
If you are aged under 19 (but aged 12 months or over): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You will also be asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case. For those aged 12 months to 5 years, if the parent/guardian would prefer, Public Health can arrange for one PCR test (administered by a health professional) to be taken in replacement of daily LFT testing. Those wishing to take up this option should follow the guidance for ‘those under 12 months’ instead.
For those aged under 12 months: they are asked to follow the passive follow up requirements for 10 days from the last contact with the case. They are also asked to take a PCR test. A parent or other person with parental responsibility should email contacttrace@gov.gg or call 01481 224127, giving reference to the 'PH number' advised by the case, and a contact tracer will call back to organise this.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

I have recently entered the Baliwick after travel and have had a notification from the NHS that I am a contact of a case

If you have been advised by the NHS that you are a contact of a case, please follow the guidance below:

If you are aged 19 or over and fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick.
If you are aged 19 or over and are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to stay at home for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick and take a PCR test around day 5 post return. You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311 to discuss the ‘Stay at Home’ requirements and to organise the PCR test.
If you are aged under 19 (but aged 12 months or over): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick. You will also be asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days following your arrival into the Bailiwick. For those aged 12 months to 5 years, if the parent/guardian would prefer, Public Health can arrange for one PCR test (administered by a health professional) to be taken in replacement of the daily LFT testing. Those wishing to take up this option should follow the guidance for ‘those under 12 months’ instead.
For those aged under 12 months: they are asked to follow the passive follow up requirements for 10 days following their arrival back in to the Bailiwick. They are also asked to take a PCR test. A parent or other person with parental responsibility should email conacttrace@gov.gg or call 01481 224127, giving reference to the 'PH number' advised by the case, and a contact tracer will call back to organise this.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220 001 or 220 002 to book a PCR test.

I have recently entered the bailiwick after travel and have been made aware that an individual I had close contact with is now positive for COVID-19

If you were outside of the Bailiwick and had contact with a person who has advised you that they are now LFT or PCR positive and if your exposure was within 48 hours prior to their LFT or PCR swab, please follow the guidelines below:

If you are aged 19 or over and fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case.
If you are aged 19 or over and are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to stay at home for 10 days following on from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case and to take a PCR test around day 5 post contact. You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311 to discuss the ‘Stay at Home’ requirements and to organise the PCR test.
If you are aged under 19 (but aged 12 months or over): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You will also be asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case. For those aged 12 months to 5 years, if the parent/guardian would prefer, Public Health can arrange for one (or two if a household contact) PCR test(s) (administered by a health professional) to be taken in replacement of the LFT testing. Those wishing to take up this option should follow the guidance for ‘those under 12 months’ instead.
For those aged under 12 months: the requirement is to follow the passive follow up requirements for 10 days from the last contact with the case. Contacts in this age group are also asked to take a PCR test. A parent or other person with parental responsibility should email contacttrace@gov.gg or call 01481 224127, giving reference to the 'PH number' advised by the case, and a contact tracer will call back to organise this. If contact was within a household, they should not attend any nursery or Early Years setting until a negative result from the PCR test is received.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test or develop any COVID-19 symptoms, please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

If you do not have enough lateral flow tests, you can collect a pack of them from the Tourist Information Centre or from Beau Sejour, please check opening times. Anyone not able to collect a pack in person can ask a friend or family member to collect one for them. If this is also not possible, they can contact lateralflowqueries@gov.gg or call the non-clinical helpline on 01481 717118 to arrange a delivery. Delivery is approximately 3-5 business days, so please bear with us.

Please be vigilant for the symptoms: https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/symptoms. If you develop any of those symptoms, no matter how mild, please stay home and call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

Passive follow up

What can I do if I am in passive follow up after being a contact of a case?

If you are fully vaccinated and 19 or over, or if you are 18 or under, you will not be asked to self-isolate. Instead you will be asked to follow passive follow up rules, with additional testing. Passive follow-up means that you:

Must at all times be vigilant for symptoms, however mild, of COVID-19; must report any such symptoms immediately to the Clinical Helpline; and must comply with any instructions given by Public Health thereafter (which may, for the avoidance of doubt, include an immediate self-isolation);
Must not enter a nursing, care or residential home without the prior agreement of the manager of the home, received after having informed the manager of the home of your status as being subject to these restrictions and should not return to work there unless you have an agreed method statement with the care or residential home manager;
Must limit contact with anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable;
Must not, other than in an emergency, enter the Princess Elizabeth Hospital or Mignot Memorial Hospital, and in an emergency must give prior notification of your status as being subject to these restrictions before entering the Princess Elizabeth Hospital or Mignot Memorial Hospital if reasonably practicable and should not return to work there unless you have an agreed method statement with your manager;
Must inform any other healthcare provider (for example, a doctor, optometrist or dentist) of your status as being subject to these restrictions when making any appointment for care;
Must speak to your specific workplace about whether they have restrictions on you returning to work whilst you are a contact of a case.
Must, so far as reasonably practicable, keep a record of people met and places visited (to assist with contact tracing if necessary); and,
Must comply with any additional conditions and restrictions imposed from time to time by the Medical Officer of Health.

You should also:

Consider limiting close contact with people outside your household, especially in enclosed spaces;
Consider wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces and where you are unable to maintain social distancing;

‘Stay at Home’ request

If you are asked to follow a ‘Stay at Home’ request, you will:

You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311 to discuss the ‘Stay at Home’ requirements and to organise the PCR test.
a letter detailing the ‘Stay at Home’ request will be posted to you
Whilst you are participating in the ‘Stay at Home’ request you will be invited for a PCR test which will be organised by the contact tracers and scheduling teams and you will also be referred for daily lateral flow testing;
Be able to participate in two hours of socially distanced exercise per day. This is to support your mental and physical wellbeing. You must not meet up with anyone from outside of your household. This exercise should be in an outdoor public space such as a beach, a park or along quiet paths and roads. You should not go anywhere that is crowded (including to shopping areas). If your home has a communal garden shared with other households, you can use this providing you are able to maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from other residents.

CONTACT TRACING

Guidance for:

Employers of a positive case
Organiser of an event where a positive case was present

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I have been advised to contact staff in my business who are close contacts of a positive employee

Where a case has been within the workplace within their Period of Interest and other employees have been identified as close contacts, we may ask the employer to provide staff with instructions to assist the contact tracing process. If asked to do so, please forward the wording below to the relevant staff members on behalf of Public Health:

This is a message from Public Health Services, States of Guernsey.

A positive Covid-19 case has been identified within your workplace and you have been identified as a close contact. We have requested your employer to assist us with our contact tracing processes, so they have kindly forwarded this message to you. As you are a close contact of a case, we request that you read the webpage I am a contact of a case | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg) and follow the relevant guidance.

In summary:

If you are aged 19 or over and fully vaccinated (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case.
If you are aged 19 or over and are either unvaccinated or not fully (completed a full course of vaccine): you are asked to stay at home for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case and take a PCR test around day 5 post contact. You should contact Public Health on 01481 224127 or 01481 227311, giving reference to the ‘PH Number’ which your employer can provide to you, to discuss the stay-at-home requirements and to organise the PCR test.
If you are aged under 19 (but aged 12 months or over): you are asked to follow the passive follow up guidance for 10 days from your last contact with the case. You are also asked to take a lateral flow test every day for 10 days from your last contact with the case. For those aged 12 months to 5 years, if the parent/guardian would prefer, Public Health can arrange for two PCR tests (administered by a health professional) to be taken in replacement of the daily LFT testing. Those wishing to take up this option should follow the guidance for ‘those under 12 months’ instead.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

Many thanks for help and cooperation with this as we work together to protect our community.

I have been advised to surge test my staff that are not close contacts but have been working at the same time as a positive employee

Where a case has been within the workplace within their Period of Interest, for those in the workplace that have not been identified as close contacts but would have been in the same vicinity as the case, we recommend ‘surge testing’. Below is wording to forward to the relevant staff members on behalf of Public Health:

To all those who were in the workplace on (dates),

This is a message from Public Health Services, States of Guernsey.

A positive Covid-19 case has been identified within your workplace and Public Health recommend surge testing of those present as a precaution to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. We are therefore asking the following:

please take a lateral flow test every other day for 10 days following your last exposure to the case. Please also be vigilant for the symptoms set out on this webpage: COVID-19 Symptoms | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg). If you develop any of those symptoms, no matter how mild, please STAY HOME and call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test, please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

Many thanks for help and cooperation with this as we work together to protect our community.

I have been asked to advise attendees of my event that there was a positive case at the event

Where a case has been at an event within their Period of Interest, for those also at the event that have not been identified as close contacts but would have been in the same vicinity as the case, we recommend 'surge testing’ as a precaution. Below is wording to forward to the relevant individuals on behalf of Public Health:

To all those who attended (event) on (date)

This is a message from Public Health Services, States of Guernsey.

A positive Covid-19 case has been identified at the event that you attended and Public Health recommend surge testing of those present as a precaution to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. We are therefore asking the following:

If you are aged 12 months or over to take a lateral flow test every other day for 10 days following the event. Please also be vigilant for the symptoms set out on this webpage: COVID-19 Symptoms | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg). If you develop any of those symptoms, no matter how mild, please STAY HOME and call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.
If you are aged below 12 months, you are asked to be vigilant for the symptoms set out on this webpage: COVID-19 Symptoms | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg). If you develop any of those symptoms, no matter how mild, a parent or other person with parental responsibility should call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.

If you receive a positive result from a lateral flow test, please call the Clinical Helpline immediately on 01481 220001 or 220002 to book a PCR test.