Premier Dominic Perrottet made a major announcement on close contacts, saying he did not want thousands of his residents in quarantine ahead of the Christmas holiday period.
Fully vaccinated close contacts no longer need to quarantine for seven days and will only need to isolate and return a negative test before they are freed.
Chief Health Officer Doctor Kerry Chant said the health department was"streamlining procedures" amid surging cases and increased Omicron infections being detected around the state. "No one wants to isolate over the Christmas period, so take personal responsibility, social distance and follow the rules in place. There are always going to be challenges coming our way, no country around the world is immune for COVID," he said.
People are advised to gather outdoors rather than indoors during the holidays to reduce the chances of exposure. "Everyone is working together to get the best information we've got across the world to understand ... that will be a key component but we do know boosters are critical in getting that immune response because it does escape the immune system."The time between the first two doses and the third shot has been reduced from six to five months.
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