Is this classed as a close contact?

[yarncakes]

Someone at work tested positive but He is not from my department. We saw each other after work as we was leaving the building, he asks how we was doing and how the family was and I said all is well, showed him a pic of my son going back to school and how grown up he is now. Only took about 10 seconds if that, I was wearing a mask but his was slipped down a bit so it wasn't on. Haven't been contacted, only those in his department have. Isnt it 15min close contact without masks?

Sorry I don’t know. Just wanted to comment that it’s a selfish act on his part not wearing his mask correctly. Put you and your family at risk and now causing you worry about it. Something as this seeming to be an innocent exchange could potentially be dangerous.

I’d suggest ringing the covid hotline and asking.

I would say probably not. We have a case at work and the few of us who shared space with him are isolating but nobody else. We have actually all tested negative with a week at home to go so I'm not convinced it's as easy to catch as a passing conversation anyway. Either that or we are all just lucky! Don't worry.

I think it's if contact was within 1- 2m for 15 mins or 1m of under for any length of time
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

From the above NHS website (but doesn't mention wearing masks):

What does close contact mean?
Examples of close contact include:

close face to face contact (under 1 metre) for any length of time – including talking to them or coughing on them
being within 1 to 2 metres of each other for more than 15 minutes – including travelling in a small vehicle
spending lots of time in your home, such as cleaning it

It doesn’t count, but presumably there’s a slightly higher risk it’s elsewhere in your workplace too. In your position I’d be careful for the next couple of weeks - eg not going anywhere near anyone vulnerable, keeping a distance from everyone.

close contact means 15 minutes, not 20 seconds.