I am a contact of a case

This page was last updated on 7 October 2021.

If you are identified as a potential contact of a case, Public Health Services will do a risk assessment to determine the level of contact.

Contact could include:

household members;
face-to-face contact including being coughed or sneezed on or having a face-to-face conversation within one metre for more than 1 minute;
having been within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact;
sharing drinks, cigarettes or vapes;
having been within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact, or added up together over one day)

If you have been identified as a contact, you have been assessed as being at risk of developing COVID-19, even if you don’t currently have symptoms.

If you think you are a contact but have not yet been called by the contact tracing team within 24 hours, please email contacttrace@gov.gg with your name, who you think you are a contact of, and a telephone number. You do not need to isolate while you wait to be contacted.

For more information about self-isolation, please visit: Self-isolation | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

Do I have to self-isolate?

Most people will not be required to self-isolate and will instead be placed in passive follow up. These include:

Anyone aged 19 or over who is fully vaccinated:

Will not be asked to isolate. Instead daily lateral flow testing will be required for up to 10 days after their last contact with a case of COVID-19.

Children/young people (regardless of their vaccination status):

Any child below Reception age: Will not be asked to isolate. Instead they will have one or two PCR tests depending on whether they are household contacts.
Any child or young person from Reception age to 18 who is a contact: Will not be asked to isolate. Instead daily lateral flow testing will be required for up to 10 days after their last contact with a case of COVID-19.

If you are aged 19 or over and are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, you will:

Be asked to 'Stay at Home' for 10 days after your last contact with a case of COVID-19; 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.

For more detail on self-isolation, please visit: Self-isolation | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

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;

Open all Close all

Can I continue to go to work?

I am a contact of a case, but I have no symptoms

I am a contact, but my family/household are not, what restrictions do they have?

Can I leave the Bailiwick if I am a case or a contact of a case?

What happens if I get a positive result?

PCR test positive result

If you get a positive result you need to stay in isolation for 10 days from when you first test positive. The Public Health Team will inform you of your result and will provide you with all the guidance required.

You will receive a letter from Public Health services regarding your positive COVID-19 result. This will confirm the date when you will be considered recovered and can leave your self-isolation.

You do not need to undergo any additional COVID-19 tests and do not need a negative test to leave isolation. However, you do need to have had no symptoms for 48 hours. This does not include a persistent cough and/or loss of smell or taste as these can persist after you are no longer infectious.

Find out more: I am a positive case | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

LFT test positive result

If you have had a positive result from an LFT then you need to phone the Clinical Helpline on 220001 or 220002 straight away to book in for a PCR test. You need to stay at home until you have the result of this test. If the LFT is for a child, please notify the child’s school or childcare setting. Other people in your household do not need to stay home at this stage.

If your PCR test is negative you can return to your normal activities but, if you feel unwell, we will recommend that you stay at home.

If your PCR test confirms you are positive for COVID-19 you will need to stay in isolation for 10 days from when you first test positive, and you will be contacted by Public Health Services.

You will receive a letter from Public Health services regarding your positive COVID-19 result. This will confirm the date when you will be considered recovered and can leave your self-isolation.