Isolation exemption for NSW health workers

​Doctors say a decision to exempt health workers in New South Wales from self-isolating if they are close contacts reflects an “extremely desperate situation”, with warnings the policy change will increase the Covid risk to hospital patients.

To ensure continued delivery of essential health services, asymptomatic healthcare workers in NSW’s public and private facilities who are classified as close contacts will in exceptional circumstances be permitted to leave self-isolation so these key services are not disrupted.

If these workers develop any symptoms of COVID-19 they must immediately seek a PCR test and not attend the workplace until a negative result is received.

With increasing case numbers and large numbers of close contacts in self-isolation, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard today signed an exemption to the Public Health Order to minimise potential impacts on health services across the state.

The exemption allows these close contacts to leave self-isolation to attend their workplace, provided they have been identified by their employer as critical to the service and cannot work from home.

Under the exemption, healthcare workers must travel directly to and from their residence to their workplace. They are required to wear a mask at all times in their workplace, unless eating or drinking or providing services where it needs to be removed.

These workers are also required to comply with risk-management strategies put in place by their employer.