WEST AUSTRALIAN
PORK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION

WHAT TO DO IF AN EMPLOYEE IS COVID POSITIVE OR A CLOSE CONTACT

Public health officials are responsible for responding in the event that a person with possible COVID-19 infection enters your premises and will notify you if this has occurred. 

However, if you have not been contacted by public health officials and you are aware that a COVID-19 positive individual has attended your workplace, call 13 COVID (13 26843) and follow the advice of public health officials. 

You may also need to manage any employees who were close contacts of any COVID-19 positive individual. Close contacts are currently defined as: 

Primary close contact is a person who has: 

• had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case during their infectious period; or 
• shared a closed space with a confirmed case during their infectious period where there is reasonable risk of transmission based on a risk assessment performed by the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC). 

Secondary close contact (close contact of a primary close contact) is a person who has had face-to-face contact or shared a closed space in any setting with a primary close contact, from 24 hours after the primary contact’s exposure to the case. 

Current isolation requirements for people waiting for a test result  

People who must comply with undiagnosed high-risk quarantine requirements: 

• Close contacts must quarantine for 14 days (unless told otherwise). 
• A high risk tested person (defined below) must quarantine until they get their test result (unless told otherwise). If they test positive, they must quarantine for 14 days. ​

People who must comply with undiagnosed low-risk quarantine requirements: 

• A low risk tested person (defined below) must comply with the undiagnosed low-risk quarantine requirements until they get their test result (unless told otherwise).  
• If they are or become: 

1. A close contact, they must comply with the undiagnosed high-risk quarantine requirements set out above for close contacts; or 
2. A high-risk tested person, they must comply with the undiagnosed high-risk quarantine requirements set out above for high risk tested people. 

If they get a negative result and still have symptoms, they should stay home until their symptoms resolve.  

If they get a negative test result and don’t have symptoms anymore, they are no longer required to quarantine. 

If a person has COVID they must quarantine for 14 days. 

High-risk tested person 

A person who has: 

• Presented for testing “in accordance with or pursuant to a direction under the Act”; or 
• Been tested “pursuant to a direction under section 184(1)(c) of the Public Health Act 2016 (WA)”. 

Low-risk tested person 

A person who: 

• has symptoms; and 
• has been tested for COVID- 19; and 
• is not a high-risk tested person.
• New testing and isolation requirements (yet to come into operation)  

On Friday January 28, 2022, Premier Mark McGowan announced that when Western Australia reaches a high caseload environment, there will be new testing and isolation requirements introduced as follows. 

Who will be considered a ‘close contact’ of a COVID case? 

A person who: 

• Shares their household 
• Is their intimate partner 
• Has spent 15 minutes or more ‘face-to-face’ with them, without masks 
• Has spent 2 hours in a small room with them, without a mask 
• Or anyone notified by WA Health, based on other circumstances 

Being at an exposure site at the same time as a COVID case will not automatically require you to get tested and go into isolation.  

 How long should you isolate? 

1.  A confirmed COVID case

• Isolate for 7 days, or as long as you keep showing symptoms. 
• After that, you may leave isolation without a test.

2. A close contact, showing symptoms

• Isolate for 7 days from the point of contact. 
• Get a PCR or a RAT after 24 hours, and on Day 7 of isolation. 
• If you return a positive result, see 1. above 
• If negative, isolation ends. 

3. A close contact, without symptoms

• Isolate for 7 days from the point of contact. 
• If you develop symptoms, get a RAT test and isolate until your results come in. 
• If you return a positive result, see 1). 
• If negative, isolation ends. 

4. If you have COVID symptoms

• Get a COVID test and isolate until symptoms clear.  
• If positive, see 1. above 
• If a negative result is returned by a RAT test, maintain isolation for 24 hours and take a 2nd RAT test. 
• If negative and clear of symptoms, isolation ends. 

What do I do if my employees can’t attend work due to COVID-19?

If an employee can’t work because they have to quarantine or self-isolate, then an employer may need to consider whether they are able to work remotely, or whether they have access to any leave entitlements.