COVID-19 FAQ (January 2022)

Who is Considered a Close Contact?

A close contact is someone who has been near a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes when health and safety measures were not in place or were insufficient.
 
If you have to notify your close contacts, consider who you were with and where you’ve been in the two days before you started having symptoms up until you started to self-isolate. If you have not had any symptoms and tested positive, consider who you were with and where you’ve been in the two days before your positive test.
 
Generally, you should notify:

  • People you live or share a room with.
  • People you had intimate contact with.

If public health decides you are a close contact, you have to follow their advice.
 

What do I do if I’ve Come into Close Contact with Someone who has Tested Positive?

Please refer to this link from the BCCDC (January 11, 2022) that will provide separate instructions for those who are vaccinated and those who are not. Also, see below:
 
If you are fully vaccinated or had COVID-19 in the last 90 days:

  • You are not required to self-isolate.*
  • You can continue to participate in routine activities, such as work or school, as long as you do not have any symptoms.
  • Do not visit friends or relatives who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 (i.e. those currently in hospital, long-term care, those with compromised immune systems, or over the age of 70 years) for 10 days after you were last exposed to COVID-19.

 
If you are not fully vaccinated and did not have COVID-19 in the last 90 days:

  • You are required to self-isolate* for 10 days from the day you last had contact with the person who has COVID-19, even if you do not have any symptoms.
  • You should not visit friends or relatives who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 (i.e. those currently in hospital, long term care, those with compromised immune systems or over the age of 70 years) for 10 days after you were last exposed to COVID-19

 
*Self-isolation means keeping away from others to help stop the spread of COVID-19. (See BCCDC link for more information)
 

What do I do if my child has tested positive?

If your child has tested positive for COVID-19, please refer to the direction of the BCCDC for guidance at this link. The steps will include:
 
If you test positive for COVID-19, you need to:

  1. Complete an online form to report your test result
  2. Self-isolate and manage your symptoms
  3. Let your close contacts know

When can my child return back to school?

 
If you are managing your illness at home you can end isolation when all three of these conditions are met:
 

  1. Fully vaccinated: At least 5 days have passed since your symptoms started, or from the test date, if you did not have symptoms. You should wear a mask even in settings where a mask isn’t required and avoid higher-risk settings, such as long-term care facilities and gatherings, for another 5 days after ending isolation. Fully vaccinated means you received both doses of a 2-dose series (e.g. AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna vaccine) or it has been more than 14 days since you received a single dose of a 1-dose series (e.g. Janssen/ Johnson and Johnson).
     
    Not fully vaccinated: At least 10 days have passed since your symptoms started, or from the day you tested positive if you did not have symptoms.
     
  2. Fever has resolved for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
  3. You have been symptom-free for 24 hours.

 
Continue to isolate for longer if you have a fever or are not feeling better.