Donning a mask for the first time as Prime Minister at a press conference, Anthony Albanese (AlboMP) said it’s up to employers to decide on the appropriateness of masks or working from home during the winter Omicron wave. | AngusGthompson
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expects federal MPs to wear masks if they cannot socially distance when Parliament sits next week, but did not back calls for mask mandates to return.
Albanese said businesses had adjusted to staff working from home during the pandemic and some work practices changed permanently as a result.“Businesses will continue to make those decisions,” he said, adding there were also broader economic implications at play. Kelly said the BA.5 variant was much more infectious than earlier strains and noted vaccines alone did not stop transmission.Major employers such as AI Group and the Business Council of Australia have urged a return to the workplace, but Health Minister Mark Butler warned against businesses making such decisions unilaterally.