New Definition of COVID-19 Cases & Contacts
- Published: 05 November 2020
Covid-19 cases and contacts have now been redefined within an educational setting, having taken into consideration the findings of the Public Health Risk Assessment (PHRA).
Case – A confirmed case of Covid-19 notified to HSE.
Contact – A clinical PHRA will be carried out in an educational setting where a confirmed case has attended while they were infectious. The PHRA will determine who they consider to be close contacts. It is assumed, because of the length of the school day, that they will have been within a closed space for at least two hours.
Close contacts – A close contact is defined as any person who has had face-to-face contact within less than one metre with a confirmed case of COVID-19 for longer than 15 minutes in a school day, or any person who has been between one and two metres from a confirmed case of COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes in a school day, with consideration of other mitigation measures e.g. face-coverings, pods, ventilation, IPC measures or uncertain compliance with mitigation measures in place (assessed through clinical PHRA).
Contacts are assessed from contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 during their infectious period - 48 hours before the onset of symptoms if symptomatic, or 24 hours before the test for COVID-19 was taken in those who are asymptomatic.
