Can I go to work if my child is a close contact? Hamilton Public Health says yes

Hamilton's contact tracing system has been revised to be more sensitive in the wake of COVID-19 variants transmitting in the city and the province, says Hamilton's medical officer of health. 

The city continues to tackle school outbreaks, meaning families are impacted by the broadening rules. Now, household members of an asymptomatic close contact have been advised to "stay at home" except for essential reasons. 

So, if your child has been listed as a close contact, can you go to work? Can your other children still go to school?

The answer from Hamilton Public Health is, yes. 

"Essential reasons include work, school, childcare, groceries, [and] medical appointments," said Hamilton Public Health Services. 

If there's any suspicion about exposure, contacts will be designated as 'close' and will require a 14 day quarantine, said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson in a COVID-19 response update on Tuesday.

All close contacts are now recommended to get tested whether they're symptomatic or not. 

"These are all stepping up the measures in the face of the variants of concern," she said.

Dr. Richardson said people should seek out testing at any time they become symptomatic. Even if close contacts don't experience symptoms, they will be tested again around day 10 of their 14-day quarantine. 

And if a close contact becomes symptomatic, then all close contacts — including household members — must quarantine until a negative test result. That means they shouldn't leave their home, even for essential reasons like work or school. 

Public health says it will follow up on a symptomatic close contact as being a probable case, until proven otherwise. It will also do contact tracing for all household and non-household contacts.