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Covid 19 - Close Contact or Casual Contact

There are two main types of ‘contacts’:

  • Close Contacts

  • Casual Contacts

If your staff member has been identified as a Close Contact of someone with COVID-19, they are likely to be at a higher risk of being infected


Close Contacts

  • Household members of a case are Close Contacts.

  • Other people who are identified as Close Contacts may live, work or have been in the same place at the same time as someone who is infectious with COVID-19, for example, they have may travelled on a plane, stayed over at the house or sit near someone at work who is a positive COVID-19 case.

  • Any person who receives an orange Bluetooth notification via the NZ COVID Tracer app is considered a Close Contact. The notification will provide advice about what to do and it is important to follow these instructions.


Casual Contacts

  • Casual Contacts are people who have been in the same place at the same time as someone infectious with COVID-19 but may not have been near the infectious person. Casual Contacts are at the lowest risk of getting sick with COVID-19.

  • These people may receive a yellow QR notification for a location of interest via the NZ COVID Tracer app. The notification will provide advice about what to do and a link for more information.


Actions for contacts


People who may live or work with or have been in the same place at the same time as someone infectious with COVID-19.

  • If you are not fully vaccinated or are a household member of a case, isolate/quarantine, either at home or in a managed facility, for 10 days from last exposure.

  • Test immediately, and on day 5 and on day 8 after last exposure.

  • If you are fully vaccinated*, isolate/quarantine, either at home or in a managed facility, for 7 days from last exposure.

  • Test immediately, and on day 5 after last exposure.

  • If COVID-19 symptoms develop, get an additional test immediately.


People who have been in the same place at the same time as someone infectious with COVID-19 but may not have been near the person.

  • Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days.

  • They can continue to work

  • If COVID-19 symptoms develop, get tested and stay at home until negative test result is received.


Financial Support


The COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment is available for businesses, including self-employed people, to help pay their employees who cannot work from home while they wait for a COVID-19 test result.

There’s a one-off payment of $359 for each eligible worker.


If you have been asked by health officials to self-isolate and you cannot work from home, you may be eligible for the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme.

  • are sick with COVID-19 and need to isolate until a doctor tells you that you no longer need to

  • have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19

  • are at a higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19

  • live with someone who is at high risk of getting sick from COVID-19, and a doctor or health professional has told people in the household to isolate to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to vulnerable household members

  • have been asked to self-isolate by public health officials

  • need to stay home and look after a dependent child who needs support to self-isolate.

Your employer can get $600 per week if you work full time, and $359 per week if you work part time to pass on to you. To be eligible for a one-week payment, you need to be self-isolating for at least four consecutive calendar days.


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