COVID-19 testing requirements should align with the advice provided to all workplaces and be consistent with the public health advice provided to the community.
ACT Health recommends COVID-19 testing for anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms.
Testing when a person has COVID-19 symptoms
Where workers have COVID-19 symptoms they should not attend work even if they have had a negative rapid antigen test (RAT).
If someone with COVID-19 symptoms is tested with a RAT and returns a negative test result, they should remain in isolation and test again in 24 hours with a RAT or PCR test.
Even with a negative COVID-19 test, they should stay at home until they are feeling well.
If a COVID-19 test is positive (PCR or RAT), they should follow the information for people who test positive for COVID-19.
Community sector organisations may consider use of RATs in the following circumstances:
- To support return to work of essential workers following a COVID-19 exposure (in accordance with established guidance); or
- For screening of staff in specific settings – this could be staff who are supporting clients at risk of severe disease from COVID-19 and are providing personal care services to these clients.
ACT Health does not recommend the use of RATs for general screening purposes for employees outside of the specific settings above.
Use of RATs in is only one component of a series of risk mitigation measures that should be implemented to minimise risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission.
To minimise risk of COVID-19 exposures within a workforce, risk mitigation measures include staying home when unwell, vaccination, use of personal protective equipment, and appropriate distancing, particularly for staff handovers, where possible.
Testing after COVID-19 exposures
RATs can be used to support essential workers who have had a high-risk exposure or are household contacts and who are asymptomatic, to return to work in a high risk setting or within the 14 days following their potential COVID-19 exposure.
Use of RATs in this setting is only one component of a series of risk mitigation measures that should be implemented if household or other high-risk contacts are entering the workplace.
Screening programs for community sector organisations who provide care to clients at high risk of severe disease
Screening programs are appropriate only where staff are likely to be supporting clients who are at risk of severe disease from COVID-19 and are providing personal care services to these clients.
If your staff are caring for clients who are likely to be at high risk of severe disease, you may wish to put in place a screening program where those staff provide personal care services (see below).
Where you are unsure of the personal history of clients, services should consider the predominance of clients that fall into these groups and the nature of interactions with them.
Risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 illness is distinct from vulnerability through personal circumstances such as homelessness or domestic and family violence - though there will be circumstances where both occur.
Universal risk mitigation measures including vaccination, use of personal protective equipment, and appropriate distancing, should still be used.
Where workers have COVID-19 symptoms they should not attend work even if they have had a negative RAT.
Please see about COVID-19 testing for testing advice in the ACT.
What constitutes personal care services?
Close personal care means that you are in close physical proximity to an individual for an extended period of time.
The following are examples of what could constitute close personal care, but the duration, frequency and intensity of contact is also a factor and should be taken into consideration when considering the appropriateness of screening programs.
Personal care includes:
- Toileting, bladder and bowel management and menstrual care.
- Physical assistance with showering.
- Physical support with the oral intake of food or drink including management of PEG or nasogastric feeds.
- Physical assistance at mealtimes for health and safety reasons.
- Physical assistance to move around due to mobility difficulties for an extended period of time or frequently.
- Physical assistance to manage medical conditions where contact is extended and close
- Provision of emotional comfort through touch for an extended period of time
Personal care does not include:
- General supervision.
- Supervision to take oral medication.
- Support to manage behaviour or ensure safety unless this involves direct physical contact.
- Hosting individual or group meetings or sessions that do not involve physical contact.
- Supervision or assistance to move around because of anxiety or difficulty understanding routines or processes unless this involves direct physical contact.
Putting in place a screening program for your workplace
Safe Work Australia provides guidance on implementing a RAT screening program.
If a screening program is planned, then consideration needs to be given to how the workplace will respond to the test results. The workplace should have a process documented.
Generally, characteristics of an asymptomatic surveillance/screening program include:
- A clear framework
- Monitoring and reporting of all results
- Guidance about frequency of testing
- Guidance about what to do in the case of a positive or negative result (with or without symptoms or a known COVID-19 exposure).
Additional guidance on use of RATs is available from the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
In considering this guidance, businesses that choose to use a COVID-19 rapid antigen self-test do not need to comply with the requirements for supervision of testing.
However, other general information included in this guidance such as test choice, test performance and safe implementation of testing, is still applicable when considering how to implement rapid antigen testing.
Screening from a client perspective
Trust is an important aspect of the relationships between a client and a staff member supporting them.
For some, having staff conduct a RAT in their presence brings peace of mind. On the other hand, staff who are asked to undertake multiple tests per day, can find this an inconvenience and it does not represent an efficient use of tests.
There is no additional benefit from multiple tests on one day for screening purposes.
To minimise repeat testing of staff on a single day, and to build trust with clients, businesses may wish to consider how they can build confidence with clients by advising them of their COVID-19 safe workplace plans, and if these include surveillance testing, advice on the testing regimes they have in place for staff.
