Update on COVID19 Testing Requirements and Travel Requirements – 31 December 2021

The Prime Minister has announced that National Cabinet has agreed on a federal definition for a COVID 19 case close contact.

What is a Close Contact?

Except in exceptional circumstances, a close contact is only a household contact, or household like, of a confirmed case. A household contact is someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting.

In effect, you will be in close contact if you live with someone or have been in an accommodation setting for more than four hours with someone who has actually got COVID 19.

Do Close Contacts Have to Test for COVID-19?

Yes, they must get a test.  If they have symptoms, they must get a PCR test.

However, the testing centres will move away from PCR tests for a close contact, if the close contact has no symptoms.  They will be given a RAT Test. If that test is positive, then they must have a PCR test.

A reporter asked the Prime Minister to clarify his comments on people who are currently in isolation as close contacts, and he advised as follows:

Reporter: Just to clarify. The jurisdictions which change the addition of a close contact, those who are isolating who then meet the new definition, can they leave?”

Prime Minister:  “They can. Let them out.”
The Prime Minister said:

“A close contact who is asymptomatic, does not have symptoms, must have a rapid antigen test, and if positive, they must then have a PCR test.”

“In that case, they become a confirmed case, and the rules apply to confirmed cases apply to them.

“Now, close contacts that return a negative test, they must remain isolated for those seven days because symptoms and other things can present later.

“And that is seven days from their date of exposure to the person who is a confirmed case, and they also will have a rapid antigen test on day six.”

“A close contact who is asymptomatic, [who] does not have symptoms, must have a rapid antigen test, and if positive, they must then have a PCR test.”

“In that case, they become a confirmed case, and the rules apply to confirmed cases apply to them.

“Now, close contacts that return a negative test, they must remain isolated for those seven days because symptoms and other things can present later.

“And that is seven days from their date of exposure to the person who is a confirmed case, and they also will have a rapid antigen test on day six.”

Isolation Requirements Domestic

In NSW from midnight tonight (30 December 2021), a close contact will need to isolate for seven days from the date of exposure and take a RAT on day six.  If the RAT test is positive, then they must continue to isolate – they are then classified as a confirmed case and will need to get a PCR.

The Prime Minister said:

“In South Australia, I want to stress; while they are adopting the definition of close contact from midnight tonight, they are continuing with a ten-day rule in South Australia.

“Nothing is further changing on the isolation arrangement in South Australia, but the definition of a close contact is, as I have said today.”

Update from National Cabinet at 31 December 2021 on Isolation:

“Further to National Cabinet on 30 December 2021, and following further consultation with the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Health Officers, leaders have also agreed to remove the requirement for a Day 6 RAT for confirmed cases in isolation.

If confirmed cases remain symptomatic, they should remain in isolation.

Anyone with symptoms will continue to seek a PCR test.

Further details on testing, tracing and quarantine arrangements in the context of high levels of COVID-19 community transmission is available in the National Cabinet Statement from 30 December 2021.”

What About Casual Contacts?

There will no longer be an emphasis on Casual Contacts.   The government only wants you to attend a testing centre if you have symptoms or you’re a close contact.  If you receive an alert that you were in a shop at the same time as a COVID 19 positive case, you are only required to monitor for symptoms.  However, get tested with a PCR test if you begin to experience symptoms.

The Prime Minister said:

“What is important is the changes to these definitions today, and the complete abolition of the casual contact notion, means that this will have a positive impact on the furloughing issue, with particularly the health workforce.

“But it will also have a positive impact on the hospitality workforce and the retail workforce and things like that as well.

“As the Chief Medical Officer has said, of course, we will see an increase in cases. That is not something that I do not expect.

“That is what I expect to happen, but with Omicron with a lower severity, persisting with the Delta settings to try and combat what is happening with Omicron, well, that makes no sense.”

 

If I’m Not a Close Contact or Have Symptoms Will I Be Tested?

No, you will not receive a PCR test – this is to reduce the number in Queues?

When Do These Changes Come into Effect?

The new definition comes into effect at midnight tonight (30 December 2021) in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT.

Tasmania will follow on January 1, 2022.

Northern Territory will make announcements about its plans early in the New Year.

Western Australia will continue with its existing close contact and isolation rules. However, they have indicated they are looking at Rapid Antigen Testing in the future.

Summary by NSW Premier

The Premier released the following summary on 31 December 2021

The Australian Medical Association Response to the New Definition

 

AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said narrowing the definition to household contacts will lock in very high transmission rates and accelerate the outbreak of Omicron.

“We will miss so many more cases with this new, more narrow definition of a close contact.

“Anyone catching Omicron in a restaurant or pub, for example, and who are asymptomatic won’t know they’re infected and could pass the virus on to more vulnerable people.

“The change will help to preserve testing capacity and should limit the number of furloughed health workers, but it will come at the cost of accelerating the outbreak.

“It seems National Cabinet is prepared to bet that a massive Omicron outbreak won’t cause large numbers of hospitalisations. Whilst initial data is encouraging; we expect hospitalisations to rise in coming weeks simply due to the very large number of cases, which will be far larger than the positive tests indicate, due to today’s decision,” Dr Khorshid said.

The AMA called for the release of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee’s (AHPPC) advice and modelling that supports the National Cabinet decision.

“Without the release of AHPPC’s advice, it is very difficult for us to share the Prime Minister’s confidence that this move will assist in keeping Australians safe and healthy.”

The AMA said good isolation practices after exposure to Omicron remain critical in efforts to slow the circulation of Omicron in the community.

“Reducing the period of isolation for those infected and for close contacts to seven days followed by a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on day six ahead of a return to work is a logical move.

“Governments should focus on the supply and distribution of RATs with clear instructions on their use, when they are required and what to do with positive and negative results.

“However, the use of RATs for asymptomatic close contacts rather than PCR tests is questionable, and PCRs should continue to be used if possible, given their superior accuracy for asymptomatic cases,” Dr Khorshid said.

New Queensland Entry Pass Requirements

From January 1 2022, if you are a hotspot traveller entering Queensland, you will be able to meet entry testing requirements by either:

  • a negative Rapid Antigen Test; or
  • a negative PCR test

taken in the 72 hours before entering Queensland. Until 1st Jan 2022, a negative PCR test is required for entry.

Also, from 28 December 2021, hotspot travellers in Queensland are no longer required to get a COVID-19 PCR test on day five following their arrival to Queensland. You still have to get tested if you develop COVID-19 symptoms or close contact with a person with COVID-19.

You are still required to obtain a border pass before entering Queensland.  As at 31 December 2021, Queensland has not updated its border pass website with the new requirements (they still refer to a PCR test – as it is needed until  11.59pm 31 December 2021.  Link to Border Pass here.

New Tasmania Entry Pass Requirements

The WA Premier has announced the following:

“In regards to people travelling to Tasmania, from 12.01am on the 1st of January we also will not require PCR tests 72 hours prior to travelling.

Confirmation of a negative RAT test undertaken 24 hours prior to domestic travel from all States and Territories to Tasmania will be required, with the onus on travellers to ensure they are doing the right thing.

Fines of up to $1557 will still apply for anyone who is caught doing the wrong thing.

You will also be given a RAT test on arrival in Tasmania and will be required to undertake that test if symptoms develop, or you become a close contact of a case.

This includes Tasmanians who travel interstate for short trips up to seven days with Tasmanians returning after seven days away also required to do a pre-departure RAT test before returning to Tasmania.”

You will still need a border pass – link here

South Australian Entry Requirements – updated 31 December 2021

South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, announced at his press conference on 31 December that SA has dropped any testing requirements for people travelling to the state.

Interstate Travellers will no longer need to use the EntryCheck SA app, or undertake  a rapid antigen test before entry.

It was not a good use of our resources at the moment, and so the EntryCheck requirement has been removed. The rapid antigen test requirement has been removed.

The Premier said:

“But we are asking all of those people coming from interstate into South Australia to observe exactly the same situation that we require of all South Australians, and that is to monitor their symptoms and to take action should they develop any symptoms.”

International arrivals from 12:01am on 31 December 2021

From 12:01am on 31 December, fully vaccinated international passengers arriving in NSW must get a COVID-19 rapid antigen test:

  • within 24 hours of arriving in NSW (and can stop self-isolating once they receive a negative result from this test); and
  • on or after day 6 after arriving in NSW.

People who are not fully vaccinated arriving in NSW from overseas must continue to go into 14-day mandatory quarantine.

South Australia Entry Requirements as at 31 December 2021

 

Will the Government Hand Out free Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)?

The Government will not be handing out free RATs.  Testing Centres will only hand out RAT tests if you are a close contact and do not have symptoms.  They will also be given out to aged care homes, hospitals and other high-risk institutions.

Suppose you want to self-test before you see an at-risk or vulnerable person, or you have been in a high-risk situation and want peace of mind. In that case, the government is leaving it to the individual to purchase their own RAT from pharmacies, supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations.  Note we currently have a thread on Lane Cove Chat by ITC where you can buy RATs in Lane Cove – link here.

Information on Rapid Antigen Tests

Rapid Antigen Tests are approved by the TGA.  The TGA on its website states the following:

“The TGA has approved the following COVID-19 self-tests (home use tests) for supply in Australia from 1 November 2021.

Please refer to the instructions on how to use each test (that are provided in the table below) for further information on what sample types the test can be used with (e.g. nasal swab or saliva).

The TGA’s performance requirements for COVID rapid antigen self-tests are internationally aligned with technical specifications published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission. This includes a minimum clinical sensitivity of at least 80% (for specimens collected within 7 days of symptom onset) and a minimum clinical specificity of at least 98%.

To provide an indication of the performance of COVID-19 rapid antigen self-tests, the table below includes information on the clinical sensitivity of each test. This is based on the studies performed by the manufacturer which show the positive percent agreement (PPA). PPA is the proportion of individuals that produced a positive test result using a COVID-19 rapid antigen self-test, in comparison with a positive result that was obtained using a more sensitive laboratory PCR test.

The inclusion of this information does not represent TGA endorsement of a particular test as all approved tests meet the performance requirements. The manufacturer’s sensitivity information is also included in the instructions provided with each test and can be viewed by clicking on the links in table below.

For each test a comment on the clinical sensitivity is assigned as follows:

Acceptable sensitivity – clinical sensitivity greater than 80% PPA

High sensitivity – clinical sensitivity greater than 90% PPA

Very high sensitivity – clinical sensitivity greater than 95% PPA”

Click here for the list of approved TGA RATS and sensitivity

Booster Shots

The Federal Minister has told clinics/doctors/hubs that if they have supplies, they can already give shots to patients who may only have a three-month interval between their second jab and the booster jab.  It seems that Lane Cove is eager to get their Booster shot with many pharmacies and local doctors booked out until the New Year.   We have also now included details of doctors or chemists in the suburbs near Lane Cove that have vacancies in 2021 and the first week in Jan 2022.

The Department of Health has allocated Moderna and Pfizer to pharmacies and mass vaccination hubs.  GP’s have only been allocated, Pfizer.  If you are searching via this link, you will find there are more appointments for Moderna available.  It does not matter which type of shot you got for your first two jabs; you can have either Pfizer or Moderna.

We have updated our article on Booster shots and their availability – click here.

Testing Centres and Queues

The lineup for testing centres has already been reduced with the announcement that Queensland will not require PCR tests from 1 January 2021.

There were 97,201 COVID-19 tests reported to 8 pm on 29th December 2021, compared with the previous day’s total of 157,758.

We have updated our article on the location of testing centres and opening hours – click here.

Note we currently have a thread on Lane Cove Chat by ITC about turnaround times at testing centres – link here.

The best way to fight COVID19 is to be fully vaccinated and have a booster jab,  should wear a mask indoors and have outdoor parties.

Always Get Tested If You Have Symptoms

It does not matter what the new rules are if you have any symptoms, get tested asap.

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