It would be premature to wind back COVID-19 isolation rules for close contacts without the backing of medical experts, a senior Victorian minister has warned.
Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Minister Jaala Pulford has dismissed a renewed call for the state to do away with mandatory seven-day quarantine for close contacts of positive cases.
Richmond AFL coach Damien Hardwick made a direct plea to Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday after livewire Sydney Stack was withdrawn from the Tigers' VFL side because of the edict.
"If we could just get rid of the close contact rule, Dan, that would be terrific," he said after his AFL team suffered a 33-point loss to St Kilda.
"(It would) make everyone's life a hell of a lot easier."
While conceding Mr Hardwick was entitled to his view, Ms Pulford said the government would continue to rely on the advice of health experts.
"We all know people who have got COVID at the moment, and have had COVID in the last week ... there's a lot of it about in the community at the moment." she told reporters on Monday.
"To prematurely make these changes isn't without risks to the health system. It's not without risks to the health of the people in our community."
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee last week said quarantine for close contacts could be replaced with other measures following the peak of the current sub-variant Omicron wave.
It warned "removing quarantine at this time may lead to higher caseloads and a reduced capacity for the health system to provide some acute and elective services".
Prior to the recommendation, Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy criticised close contact isolation rules after he was forced into seven-day quarantine following a positive test for his nine-year-old son.
Ms Pulford confirmed Mr Andrews was out of isolation on Monday after he tested positive a week ago.
Victoria recorded 10,011 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Monday, with 305 patients in hospital including 17 in intensive care
The figures come a day after the Victorian government pledged $1.5 billion to address the state's growing elective surgery waitlist.
