A Victorian parliamentary inquiry is looking at the mental health toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, as South Australia prepares to ease more restrictions.
Victoria’s chief psychiatrist and chief mental health nurse will be among the experts giving evidence to the parliamentary review of pandemic orders on Friday.
The inquiry has previously heard from the state’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton and COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar.
Meanwhile, South Australia is preparing to scrap COVID-19 close contact isolation rules, bringing its restrictions into line with NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.
From Saturday, anyone who is deemed a close contact will no longer need to isolate at home, although they will need to take five rapid antigen tests over the seven-day period.
They will also be required to wear masks when outside the home, are banned from visiting high-risk settings such as aged care centres, and must tell their employers and any schools they have contact with of their status.
Close contacts will further be urged to avoid any non-essential gatherings or contact with vulnerable people.
If they develop symptoms they must take a PCR test and isolate until receiving the result.
LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:
NSW: 11,903 new cases, 7 deaths, 1645 in hospital, 68 in ICU
Victoria: 11,083 new cases, 7 deaths, 428 in hospital, 35 in ICU
Northern Territory: 428 cases, 47 in hospital, two in ICU.
