National cabinet has endorsed medical advice recommending a return to wearing masks in indoor settings but there has been no change to the booster schedule. auspol covid19
The country’s leaders say Australians should wear masks indoors, but stopped short of agreeing to mandate their use as coronavirus cases from the new variant continue to climb.
National cabinet is also considering an end to contact tracing as the country knows it, with a move to alert people through check-in apps that they had been at the same venue as a COVID-19 case, and the health expert group examining whether casual contacts can be excluded from contact tracing altogether.
Each premier will detail how their state will act on recommendations discussed by national cabinet on Wednesday from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee on how to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.Speaking after the meeting, Mr Morrison said they all agreed masks should be worn indoors.
“Masks use should be used because we know firstly, it works, and secondly to protect yourself to protect others,” he said. “There is no AHPPC medical expert panel consensus opinion which says you must have a PCR test to travel from one state to another,” he said. “States are the ones imposing those public health orders.”Earlier on Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would consider changing requirements to the rapid tests after January 1 and upon taking expert health advice.
Mr Morrison said there had been strong discussion about the impact these requirements had on the testing capacity of other states.“It is important that we focus the PCR tests on those who are close contacts, and those who are symptomatic, and people who can get those tests and not be standing in queues with other people who are just looking to get on a plane,” he said.