National Cabinet met in Sydney today to discuss COVID-19 settings.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd provided an update on the pandemic and outlined strategies for combating potential COVID-19 waves.
First Ministers reinforced their commitment to continued collaboration between commonwealth, state and territory governments in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Cabinet agreed to reduce the isolation periods for COVID-19 positive cases from seven to five days following a positive test, with the following caveats:
- This would apply only to people with no symptoms at five days.
- Seven days' isolation remains for workers in high-risk setting including aged care, disability care, and those providing care in the home.
This is a proportionate response at this point in the pandemic.
These changes will come into effect from Friday 9 September, with the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment (PLDP) eligibility to reflect the changed isolation periods, effective the same date.
National Cabinet also agreed to remove the mandatory wearing of masks on domestic flights. This change will also come into effect from Friday 9 September.
