Management Information Sheet

People who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive with COVID-19 can now get a PCR test during their 10-day isolation period, whether or not they have symptoms.

Around 1 in 5 people who have been in close contact with a person with COVID-19 will go on to have COVID-19 themselves, and around 1 in 3 of those will have no symptoms but can still spread the virus.

Getting a test when you're a contact helps to find out if you're one of those people and, if so, to ensure your contacts are self-isolating. This is how we break the chains of transmission. Even if you test negative, you will still need to complete your 10-day self-isolation period, because the virus can incubate for that time.

We are recommending that educational settings ask staff, children and households who are close contacts of a positive case to get a free PCR test to check if they have coronavirus.

All testing is voluntary, however this testing approach in settings with confirmed COVID-19 cases (combined with the established asymptomatic testing programme) will disrupt chains of transmission, and stop the spread of the virus.