In close contact

Everyone is requested to download Ireland’s national Covid tracker app. You can find out more information and how to download here and details on how it works here.

Even if you have been fully vaccinated, it is important to remember that you can still transmit the virus to others (but remain asymptomatic yourself), and also that vaccination is not successful in at least 5% of people.

For these reasons, if you become symptomatic or are identified as a close contact, then the same advice and restrictions that were previously in place still apply.

These guidelines are being updated regularly, so please continue to check back for new information.

If you are a close contact and you have received a COVID-19 vaccine

You do not need to restrict your movements or be tested for COVID-19 if it is more than:

7 days after your 2nd Pfizer-BioNTech dose
14 days after your 2nd Moderna dose
14 days after the Janssen vaccine
28 days after your 1st AstraZeneca dose

But you may not get the same level of protection from the vaccine as other people if you:

are immunocompromised due to disease or treatment
have cancer
have chronic kidney disease.

A member of the contact tracing team will advise you on what you need to do when they phone you.

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WITH COVID

Please read this link. You should be able to decide whether you were a CASUAL contact or a CLOSE contact. 

This is only a guide but CASUAL contact can mean:

• spending less than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of an infected person, indoor or outdoor
• being in the same room as an infected person for less than 2 hours
• being on public transport or an airplane with an infected person but not sitting near them
• Spending more than 2 hours in an indoor space with a person who has coronavirus will sometimes count as casual contact. This could be an office or a classroom. But it will depend on the size of the room and other factors. Public health teams who risk asses or contact tracers will let you know if you are at risk during contact tracing.

This is only a guide but CLOSE contact can mean:

• spending more than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of someone who has coronavirus, indoor or outdoor
• living in the same house or shared accommodation as someone who has coronavirus
• sitting within 2 seats of someone who has coronavirus on public transport or an airplane
• Spending more than 2 hours in an indoor space with someone who has coronavirus will sometimes count as close or casual contact. This could be an office or a classroom. But it will depend on the size of the room and other factors. Public health doctors or contact tracers will let you know if you are at risk during contact tracing and public health risk assessments.
• If you are in contact with someone who has been in contact with someone else who has Covid, then you personally are NOT a close contact.

For more information please read this link. on the HSE website.

Household contacts

If you live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus:

Restrict your movements for 14 days, even if you feel well. 

The person who has symptoms should behave as if they have coronavirus and:

• self-isolate immediately
• phone their GP
• The person you live with may be referred for a test for coronavirus.

If their test is positive you will become a close contact. You will need to continue to restrict your movements and get tested.

If their test is negative, you no longer need to restrict your movements.