New rules on isolation, close contacts and testing

As case numbers skyrocket and queues for testing grow, the changes are designed to take the pressure off PCR testing and limit the amount of time people spend out of the workforce if they are not seriously ill.

What is the close contact definition?

Previously there was no agreed definition between the various states and territories, but the main thrust of the uniform rule is to reduce the number of people defined as a close contact and do away entirely with the concept of a “casual contact”.

“Except in exceptional circumstances, a close contact is a household contact or ‘household-like’ of a confirmed case only. A household contact is someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting,” Morrison said.

The change is similar to what had been flagged in recent days and also includes residential care facilities as a “household-like” setting. Morrison was at pains to point out that it only applied to contact with a “confirmed case”, that is, someone who had received a positive PCR test.

What happens if I’m a close contact?

Anyone with symptoms should get a PCR test.

Under the new arrangement, a confirmed case must isolate for seven days from the date their infection was confirmed with a test. On 31 December the goverment changed the rule on testing announced the previous day, removing the requirement for a rapid antigen test on day six of isolation.

Someone who discovers they are a close contact but is not showing any symptoms must test with a rapid antigen test. If the test is positive, they must then have a PCR test. If that comes back positive, the person obviously becomes a confirmed case themselves.

The exception is in South Australia, which, while adopting the definition, will still require a 10-day isolation period.

If I am not a close contact, can I still get tested?

No – unless you are a close contact or have symptoms, you will not be able to get a free PCR test in the way that has been normal practice for the past two years. Morrison made clear the intention was to reduce the number of people in queues for PCR tests, although it is unclear how many of those people fall into the category of what he called “the worried well”.

When does the change come into effect?

From midnight on Thursday, in all states and territories except Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Tasmania will adopt the change from 1 January, while the Northern Territory and Western Australia will make separate announcements in the coming days.

What is the aim of the change?

Testing sites on the east coast and in South Australia have been swamped, causing immense queues to be tested and delaying results in some cases for many days. In many parts of the country rapid antigen tests have also been in short supply.