Household Contacts

You are a Household Contact if you live with, or spend a night with, someone who has COVID-19. We recommend you test daily for 5 days with a rapid antigen test.

Key points

  • Household Contacts do not need to isolate.
  • If you are a Household Contact, we recommend you test daily for 5 days with a rapid antigen test (RAT) from the day the person with COVID-19 tested positive.
  • If you test positive for COVID-19, we recommend you isolate for 5 days.
  • More information and advice | COVID-19 Health Hub (external link)

Who is a Household Contact

You are a Household Contact if you:

  • normally live in a house or flat on a permanent or part-time basis (for example, shared custody) with a person who has tested positive, and
  • you spent at least 1 night or day (more than 8 hours) in that residence while the person was infectious.

You are also a Household Contact if you do not normally share a residence with the person who has COVID-19, but spent a night together in the same room.

If you are travelling or holidaying

For people travelling or holidaying around New Zealand, Household Contacts include people who share non-communal holiday accommodation such as a:

  • hotel room
  • tent
  • campervan
  • temporary holiday home (such as a bach, Airbnb or similar).

If you get COVID-19 while travelling

Who is not a Household Contact

The following people may be Close Contacts, but not Household Contacts:

  • People who live in the same group accommodation as the person with COVID-19 (for example, in aged residential care facilities, halls of residences, boarding houses, hostels, backpackers, and transitional housing).

Advice for Close Contacts

What you need to do

Test for 5 days

If someone you live with tests positive for COVID-19, you do not need to isolate.

You should test daily for 5 days with a rapid antigen test (RAT) from the day the person with COVID-19 tested positive.

If any of your tests are positive, we recommend you isolate for 5 days.

If you cannot test daily, we recommend you stay home for 5 days.

How to get a COVID-19 test

If you have COVID-19

Report your tests

You should report the results of your RATs, whether they are positive or negative. You can do this online through My Covid Record or call 0800 222 478.

Log into My Covid Record (external link)

Avoid the person with COVID-19

You should avoid or minimise contact with the person who has COVID-19 during their isolation period.

Wear a face mask

We recommend you wear a face mask if you leave your home during your 5 days of testing, to help reduce the risk of infecting others. Wearing a face mask is important when:

  • visiting vulnerable people, such as older people and those who are immunocompromised
  • using public transport
  • in a crowded indoor space.

Monitor for symptoms for 10 days

Monitor for symptoms for 10 days from when the first person in your house tests positive.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms at any time, test and stay home until 24 hours after your symptoms resolve. If you test positive, we recommend you isolate for 5 days.

For further guidance and advice, visit the COVID-19 Health Hub:

I am a household contact | COVID-19 Health Hub (external link)

If more than 1 person in your household tests positive

You do not need to restart daily testing if another person tests positive within the first person's recommended 5-day isolation period.

If you have had COVID-19

28 days or fewer since a previous infection

If you had COVID-19 and it has been 28 days or fewer from your previous infection (either from when you tested positive or you first had symptoms), and someone in your household tests positive, you are not considered a Household Contact and you do not need to test.

29 days or more since previous infection

If it has been 29 days or more since you had COVID-19 and someone in your household tests positive, then you should test daily for 5 days.

If you test positive, we recommend you isolate for 5 days.

If you have COVID-19

After you have had COVID-19

Last updated: at