I’m unvaccinated and exposed to Covid-19, do I still need to self-isolate?

The revised quarantine and isolation guidelines apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. 

Prof Jeremy Nel, a member of the ministerial advisory committee (MAC), said on Friday the committee recommended the proposed guidelines, which include the scrapping of contact tracing and isolation for asymptomatic individuals, apply equally to low and high-risk people. 

The committee proposed to the health department that contact tracing, isolation,  quarantining and Covid-19 testing for exposed individuals be discontinued with immediate effect unless the contact becomes symptomatic.

Nel said issues surrounding isolation include that testing is skewed towards symptomatic individuals, not all symptomatic individuals test and not all tests that come out negative are true negatives.

He said in some cases by the time a patient is referred for isolation, the transmission of Covid-19 has already occurred. 

The committee further recommended that isolation for symptomatic patients is reduced from 10 to seven days, but all symptomatic cases be required to wear a mask at all times from days eight to 10.

Other recommendations include:

• scrapping of isolation for asymptomatic individuals;
• no Covid-19 test should be performed prior to a symptomatic patient returning to work after the seven day isolation period; and 
• the isolation rules be applied equally to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and to high and low risk individuals.