NSW will provide around one million Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) at cost to the ACT from January 17, says Chief Minister Andrew Barr. 

He was reporting outcomes from today’s (December 30) national cabinet meeting, which met to discuss future Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine (TTIQ) arrangements and the supply of RATs. 

“These additional tests will supplement our existing stockpile and will be available for use in our system later in January,” he said. 

“We have more RATs on order to respond to the evolution of testing arrangements in the context of higher case numbers and community transmission.”

National Cabinet had also agreed to work on a concessional RAT supply arrangement to provided highly subsidised tests to low-income households. Further details would be provided in coming weeks, he said.

Broad agreement was reached on national close-contact definitions and testing arrangements.

From midnight tonight in five states – NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and the ACT, only a person living with a confirmed covid-positive case or sharing an accomodation setting for more than four hours with an infected person is deemed to be a close contact.

At a press conference following the snap national cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “The definition for a close contact is as follows: similar to what I said to you yesterday — except in exceptional circumstances, a close contact is a household contact, or household-like, of a confirmed case only.

“A household contact is someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in our house, accommodation or care facility setting.

“So, you are only a close contact if you are, effectively, living with someone or have been in an accommodation setting with someone for more than four hours with someone who has actually got covid.

“It is with someone specifically who has covid.

“Now, a confirmed case would isolate thought seven days from the date.

“So, someone who actually has covid, from the date that they would took the test, they would have to isolate for seven days and have a negative rapid test, a rapid antigen test, on day six, prior to being able to leave isolation after seven days.

“A closer contact that is symptomatic must have a PCR test, still.

“So, if you are symptomatic, and that goes for anyone who is symptomatic, by the way, if you are symptomatic, then the right test is a PCR test.

“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 that 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.”

ACT Chief Minister Barr said that in addition to last week’s decision to mandate masks for indoor settings, today the government was asking Canberrans to work from home where this works for them and their employer.

“The ACT Public Service has taken the lead in flexible working arrangements throughout the pandemic. As Canberrans return to work in January, we are asking other employers to support their employees to work from home where possible,” he said.

“While many employees will need to return to the workplace to meet business needs or for their own wellbeing, working from home where possible will help to reduce transmission while we continue to learn more about the impact of Omicron – not just in the ACT but across Australia.

“Taking sensible steps like wearing masks and working from home will minimise transmission and give us time to get kids vaccinated and booster jabs in arms.

“There are outdoor events planned in Canberra over the next month that have robust COVID safe plans. If people are concerned about community transmission of COVID, we recommend avoiding crowded spaces and wearing a mask when you’re around people you don’t live with. People should also stay at home and seek a COVID-19 test if they are feeling unwell.”

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