Who this guidance is for
Contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 are at risk of developing COVID-19 themselves in the next 10 days. They could spread the virus to others, even before any symptoms begin.
This guidance is for people who have been notified by NHS Test and Trace
[footnote 1] that they are a contact of a person who has had a positive test result for COVID-19 – and who is not from that person’s household.
If you live in the same household as a person who has symptoms of COVID-19 or who has received a positive test result, follow the
Stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed COVID-19.
There is separate
guidance for those working in health and social care settings.
What is meant by a contact
A contact is a person who has been close to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. You can be a contact any time from 2 days before the person who tested positive developed their symptoms (or, if they did not have any symptoms, from 2 days before the date their positive test was taken) and up to 10 days after – as this is when they can pass the infection on to others. A risk assessment may be undertaken to determine this, but a contact can be:
- anyone who lives in the same household as another person who has COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19
- anyone who has had any of the following types of contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19:
- face-to-face contact including being coughed on or having a face-to-face conversation within one metre
- been within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact
- been within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact, or added up together over one day)
A person may also be a close contact if they have travelled in the same vehicle or plane as a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
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. You will be notified by NHS Test and Trace via text message, email or phone, and should follow all the guidance in this document.
An interaction through a Perspex (or equivalent) screen with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 is not usually considered to be a contact, as long as there has been no other contact such as those in the list above.
What to do if you are a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
If you are informed that you are a contact of someone who has had a positive test result for COVID-19, you are legally required to stay at home and self-isolate unless you meet one of the following conditions:
- you are fully vaccinated: fully vaccinated means you have had 2 doses of an approved vaccine such as Pfizer BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Spikevax (formerly Moderna) – you are also fully vaccinated if you have had one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine
- you are below 18 years 6 months
- you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
- you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
If you are not legally required to self-isolate, follow the guidance below for
contacts who are not required to self-isolate.
Contacts who are required to self-isolate
If you are a contact of someone who has had a positive test result for COVID-19 and you are aged over 18 years and 6 months and not fully vaccinated, you are legally required to self-isolate. This does not apply if you have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial or you are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons.
Self-isolation means you must stay at home and not leave the house. Do not go to work, school, or public areas, and do not use public transport or taxis. There is further information on how to self-isolate later in this guidance. Do not go outside even to buy food or other essentials, except in certain specific circumstances. Any exercise must be taken within your home, garden or private outdoor space.
Ask friends or relatives to help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog. You can also order your shopping online and medication by phone or online. Delivery drivers should not come into your home, so make sure you ask them to leave items outside for collection.
How long do I need to self-isolate for
If you are legally required to self-isolate, your isolation period includes the date of your last contact with the person who has a positive test result for COVID-19 and the next 10 full days. This means that if, for example, your last contact with them was at any time on the 15th of the month your isolation period ends at 23:59 on the 25th.
In some circumstances, the person you had close contact with will be asked by NHS Test and Trace to take a follow-up COVID-19 test. If this second test result is negative it is unlikely that they have COVID-19. If this happens, NHS Test and Trace will contact you to let you know that you can stop self-isolating.
You can only stop your self-isolation before 10 full days have been completed if you have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace and advised to do so. Otherwise, you must continue to self-isolate and follow this guidance.
Arrange to have a PCR test during your isolation period
You are advised to take a single PCR test as soon as possible while you are self-isolating. You should take this PCR test because you are at a higher risk of being infected. The results of the PCR test will help NHS Test and Trace contact people who may have caught the virus from you. They can then self-isolate and avoid passing it on to others.
If your PCR test result during your isolation period is negative, you must continue to self-isolate as you could still become infectious and pass the infection onto others. Stay at home for your full isolation period to avoid putting others at risk.
If your PCR test result is positive, follow the
stay at home guidance for people who have tested positive for COVID-19, and start a further isolation period. This new isolation period begins from when you took the PCR test, regardless of where you are in your original 10 day isolation period. This means that your total isolation period may be longer than 10 days.
If you have previously tested positive by PCR for COVID-19, you will probably have developed some immunity to the disease. However, it cannot be guaranteed that everyone will develop immunity, or how long it will last. It is possible for PCR tests to remain positive for some time after COVID-19 infection.
If you have previously received a positive COVID-19 PCR test result within the last 90 days and you are identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 you should not take a PCR test. You should only take a PCR test if you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have a positive LFD test result, or if you are required to take a PCR test upon entry into the UK.