Guidance for businesses with a worker who tests positive for COVID-19

What a worker should do if they test positive

A worker who tests positive to COVID-19 may be infectious for up to 10 days, but is most infectious in the 2 days before symptoms start and while they have acute symptoms.

Workers should follow the NSW Health advice for testing positive, including the information below on returning to work.

NSW Health recommends workers to:

• register their rapid antigen test result with Service NSW. Voluntarily registering a result helps them access medical support from NSW Health, such as antiviral medicines if they are eligible. Registering also assists NSW Health to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• stay home until their acute symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever) have gone. Medical clearance may not be necessary for a worker to return to the workplace.
• talk to their employer about when they should return to the workplace. This may vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of industry and workplace.
• in high-risk settings such as health, disability and aged care, stay away from the workplace for 7 days and until they have no symptoms. This is to help protect other staff, patients, residents and clients. If the employer needs the worker to return to the workplace before this time, the employer may ask the worker to take additional steps to protect others, subject to their work, health and safety assessment.

How a business will find out that a worker tests positive for COVID-19

A business owner or employer may be notified by the worker who has tested positive, or another authority.

NSW Health recommends that people who test positive tell their workplace. This is so that the workplace can manage the risk to colleagues and customers.

The privacy and confidentiality of the person who tested positive for COVID-19 must always be maintained.

Business owners or employers are not required to notify that a customer with COVID-19 has visited the workplace.

Managing the risk of COVID-19 in a workplace

Under NSW work health and safety (WHS) laws, employers should take all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of workers. This includes the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace.

Workplaces are recommended to:

• have a COVID-19 Safety Plan that considers risk and control measures. This will assist in meeting your obligations.
• consider action to prevent workers contracting and spreading the virus, and support for workers who may be exposed to a confirmed case or who show COVID-like symptoms. This can be captured in your Safety Plan.
• review and, if necessary, update risk assessment(s) to determine the level of risk of COVID-19 exposure in the workplace and ensure control measures are appropriate and effective.

Read more guidance for keeping your workers safe.

What to do if a worker who tests positive for COVID-19 has been in the workplace

1. The worker who has tested positive should follow the advice from NSW Health.
2. Ensure the safety of the workplace and workers, for example by cleaning and disinfecting all areas used by the person who tested positive for COVID-19. See further information on cleaning the workplace.
3. Businesses may assess how much contact other workers had with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, while that person was infectious in the workplace. Advice for people exposed to COVID-19 will help determine if any workers have high risk exposure or moderate risk exposure.
4. If your assessment of workplace risk indicates there are workers who have had exposure, those workers should be encouraged to follow Advice for people exposed to COVID-19. Businesses may choose to furlough staff to manage the risk.
5. Advise workers and contractors of the situation in your workplace. Consult with workers about the identification and management of any remaining health and safety risks.

Identifying the risk of contracting COVID-19 in a workplace setting 

People with COVID-19 may be infectious for up to 10 days. The risk of infection with COVID-19 depends on many factors. These include:

• Whether the exposure was indoors or outdoors (the risk is lower for outdoor settings).
• The amount of time spent with a COVID-19 positive person (the risk is lower with less time spent together).
• How close a person is to an infected person (the risk is lower with distanced interactions).
• If either the exposed person or the infected person were wearing masks (the risk is lower if they were both wearing masks).
• The infectiousness of the case. People are most infectious in the 2 days before symptoms start, and while acute symptoms are present (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever). If the person has not had symptoms, they should be considered infectious from 48 hours before they had their first positive test.
• If there has been other transmission of COVID-19 from a person at the workplace. Transmission indicates that the person with COVID-19 was infectious when they attended.

Assessing the risk of contracting COVID-19 in a workplace setting

A workplace risk assessment should consider:

• the nature of contact with the person who has COVID-19.
• the circumstances of the exposed individual.
• any engagement with vulnerable people. For example, if the employee works with people who are vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19.

Planning for workplace exposures  

Workplaces should consider what action they will take if, or when, employees or others in the workplace are exposed to a person with COVID-19. This will help to minimise the risk of other employees and customers getting sick, and avoid business disruption.

Measures for preventing repeat infection in the workplace might include regular rapid antigen testing or furlough of high-risk contacts for 5 days.

The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment closed on 14 October 2022. Workers may be eligible for the High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment if they work in a high-risk setting such as health, aged or disability care, and cannot earn an income because they've tested positive.

Business responsibilities for informing workers

Employers should advise workers and contractors of the general situation. The privacy and confidentiality of the person who tested positive to COVID-19 must always be maintained. Information provided to workers should include:

• advice for people exposed to COVID-19
• symptoms of COVID-19 that staff and contractors should monitor for
• where to seek testing advice if they develop symptoms
• reminders to staff, contractors, visitors and customers to not enter the premises if they are unwell
• simple steps on how to do the little things to stay safe
• what infection control measures the business operator has put in place, including cleaning.

Cleaning guidance is available

All areas used by any suspected or positive case of COVID-19 should be cleaned and disinfected. Closing down premises is not required.

For hard surfaces, either:

• use detergent and water for cleaning followed by disinfectant solution (2-step clean)
• use a combined detergent and disinfectant solution (2-in-1 clean).

Specialist cleaning is not required.

Learn more about routine cleaning and disinfection in the workplace.

For more information on cleaning, visit Safe Work Australia.

Provide workers and visitors with safety information

Employers should provide staff, visitors, contractors and customers safety information that includes:

• symptoms of COVID-19 staff, visitors, contractors and customers should self-monitor for
• where to seek advice and help
• reminders not to enter the premises if they are unwell
• advice on physical distancing and personal hygiene measures (e.g. hand hygiene and cough etiquette)
• what infection control measures the business operator has put in place, including cleaning.