The Government today (7 May) announced updated quarantine requirements for vaccinated close contacts of locally acquired COVID-19 cases.
Close Contacts of Locally Acquired Cases Who Do NOT Have a Mutant Strain
The duration of compulsory quarantine is shortened to seven days of quarantine in a Quarantine Centre, counting from the last day of exposure to the confirmed case (the day of last exposure is regarded as Day 0), provided the following three criteria have been satisfied:
(a) documented proof of completion of two doses of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, and that 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the second dose#; and
(b) results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the respiratory specimens taken on Day 0 or Day 1 after admission to a QC being negative; and
(c) positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) or total antibody against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, or positive surrogate neutralising antibody, taken after admission to a QC.
After completing the seven-day quarantine, the close contact will be subject to seven days of self-monitoring, and to compulsory testing at a community testing centre (CTC) on Day 12.
Close Contacts of Locally Acquired N501Y Mutant Strain
The duration of quarantine in a QC is shortened from 21 days to 14 days, counting from the last day of exposure to the confirmed case, provided the following three criteria have been satisfied:
(a) documented proof of completion of two doses of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, and that 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the second dose#; and
(b) results of PCR testing of the respiratory specimens taken on Day 0 or Day 1 after admission to a QC, and those taken on Day 7 and Day 12 after last exposure to the confirmed case, being all negative; and
(c) positive IgG or total antibody against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, or positive surrogate neutralising antibody, taken after admission to a QC.
After completing the fourteen-day quarantine, the close contact will be subject to seven days of self-monitoring, and to compulsory testing at a community testing centre (CTC) on Day 19.
# Persons Regarded as Satisfying Criteria (a):
1) close contacts who had documented past infection of COVID-19 within nine months after discharge; or
2) close contacts who had documented past infection of COVID-19 more than nine months after discharge plus one dose of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and for whom 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the dose.
