Contact tracing: How to trace your contacts
If you tested positive for COVID-19
If you are positive:
- Follow the Medical Self-Isolation recommendations.
- You should let your “close contacts” know right away that you tested positive, so they can keep others around them safe.
- In some communities, the Public Safety Office asks people who test positive at home to let them know, so they can help you with your contacts and other questions.
How do I know someone is a close contact?
1. Think about the time period.
Contacts only include people you were close to starting from 48 hours (2 days) before you started to feel sick (or tested positive) until you started to isolate. This is the “infectious period” (when you are contagious), which means the window of time when you can spread the infection to others.
It does not include people you saw 3 or more days before the start of your infection.
For example, if you start to have a cough on Monday and test positive, you need to tell everyone you saw on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You do not have to tell the people you saw last week on Thursday and Friday, because you would not have been infectious then.
How to list your contacts: Check your phone/texts/inbox and social media to help remember what you have been up to in the last few days.
2. Think about what you did with those people.
List people who you:
- Lived with or shared the same house with
- Ate meals with
- Kissed or saw intimately
- Spent time indoors together (e.g. visiting, partying, playing, working)
- Spent time in a car with
- Spent a lot of time with outside, less than 6 feet apart, without masks
You do not have to include people who you had only a short contact with (e.g. 5-10 minutes talking) or if you were in a place where you and the people around were wearing medical masks the whole time (e.g. working at the clinic).
3. Let your contacts know that you tested positive for COVID-19.
These people should self-isolate until they can get tested.
- Tell them they should act as though they are positive for now and should isolate too, for at least 7 days from the last time you saw them.
- They should get tested at least twice – at the 3rd and 7th day after they were in contact with you. This can be a test at the clinic, or a rapid test at home.
- They should follow the Medical Self-Isolation recommendations here.
- If they start to have symptoms, they should assume they are now positive. They should inform any of their own contacts.
What can I tell my contacts?
“I need to tell you something. I just tested positive for COVID-19. Since we just saw each other, I’m worried it could have spread to you when we were together. You should isolate and get yourself tested as soon as you can. I’m sorry for the bad news, I didn’t want this to happen. I hope you are doing ok.”
Why wear a medical mask
- The virus is transmitted through the air. This is why it’s important to wear a snug-fitting mask when you’re around other people, and indoors.
- Cloth masks do not provide enough protection against airborne transmission.
- The Cree Health Board recommends people wear medical (procedural) masks if they are available.
