The Department of Health Services definition of close contact can be found in its guidelines on preventing, investigating and controlling Covid-19 in schools:
“Close contact has occurred if any of the following situations happened while an individual (student, teacher, or staff person) spent time with the person with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, even if they did not have symptoms during their infectious period:
- Had direct physical contact with the person (for example, a hug, kiss, or handshake);
- Were within six feet of the person for more than 15 minutes. This includes single encounters of more than 15 minutes OR multiple encounters within a single day adding up to more than 15 minutes; and,
- Had contact with the person’s respiratory secretions (for example, coughed or sneezed on; contact with a dirty tissue; shared a drinking glass, food, towels, or other personal items).
This definition applies even if protective measures, such as face coverings, face shields, or physical barriers (e.g. Plexiglas, partitions) were used. While these protective measures reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, it does not negate the need for a quarantine if the criteria above are met….”
“A household contact includes anyone who lives, or lived temporarily, with the COVID-19 case patient for at least one night in the same room or household during his or her infectious period. Because of the amount of time and space shared between household contacts, they are at greater risk of infection. Therefore, household contacts have different considerations for quarantine and release from quarantine measures, compared to close contacts. Refer to the Isolation and Quarantine section of this document for additional guidance.”
