Mandatory isolation periods for COVID-19 have been scrapped following a decision by the national cabinet. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state and territory leaders agreed people with COVID-19 will no longer be subject to a five-day stay-at-home order following Friday’s meeting at Parliament House.
The changes will come into effect from October 14. The isolation period, however, will still apply to employees in vulnerable settings such as hospital workers and those in aged care. The decision to eliminate the mandatory isolation period will also mean the end of pandemic leave payments for affected workers, with the payments to end from October 14.
The payments that remain for workers in vulnerable settings would be split 50-50 between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. Prime Minsiter Albanese said the measures would be proportionate and would target the most vulnerable. “We want a policy that promotes resilience and capacity-building and reduces a reliance on government intervention,” he told reporters in Canberra. “It was a unanimous decision by the national cabinet today and had the support of all premiers and chief ministers.”