Mask rules are set to be relaxed in Australia’s three biggest states, with authorities also considering removing isolation requirements for household contacts of Covid-19 cases as part of a “big shift” towards living with the virus.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced that from 11:59pm on Friday, the public health recommendation for Victorians to work or study from home will be removed and masks will only be required in certain settings including public transport, hospitals and primary schools, and for workers in hospitality, retail and large events.
It aligns with a similar plan which will take effect in New South Wales from Friday.
“We’re going to a situation on Friday where there are essentially no Covid rules, or so few that it’s unrecognisable to what it was a year ago, and indeed what it was two years ago,” Andrews said on Tuesday.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, also said her government would relax the requirement to wear masks in most indoor settings, from 6pm on 4 March.
She told parliament the state was now confident that the peak of the Omicron wave had passed.
“Mr Speaker smiles are back. We can put our masks away,” she said.
Queensland will also scrap density limits for private homes, weddings and funerals and there will be no limits in food courts, hairdressers, gyms, private venues and universities from 4 March.
Meanwhile, Andrews revealed he was in discussions with the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, on a plan that would allow asymptomatic household contacts of Covid-19 cases to leave isolation to attend work.
“That could be connected to third doses, although that would be more an honesty thing – you wouldn’t be able to prove it, Andrews said.
“It will be another way of trying to encourage people to go and get a third dose.
“What we know as we head into winter, we’ve got to do everything we can to try and have a better outcome when it comes to furloughing [and] as RATs become more and more available.”
Workers in several critical industries including emergency services, education, food distribution, transport and freight were given an exemption from isolation requirements when a family member tested positive in mid-January.
They are required to wear a mask at all times, travel directly to work and take regular rapid antigen tests.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said this system had proved effective.
“It has worked well with our nurses. People have been very responsible. If they’ve had symptoms, they’ve not come to work.” Hunt said.
Andrews defended the decision to extend mask rules for students in grades three to six as the vaccination rate among the age group is lower than anticipated, among other considerations.
According to data from the department of health on Monday, 54.2% of Victorians aged 5 to 11 years old have had one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Just 344 of the more than 7,000 vaccine doses administered on Monday were for children in the age group.
From Monday Victorian public hospitals will be able to resume all surgery, with capacity to be assessed based on staff levels and Covid-19 demand. Private hospitals will be able to resume surgery at up to 100% capacity.
In announcing the new settings, health minister Martin Foley also extended the deadline for some workers required to receive three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The third dose deadline for education workers who had their second dose on or before 25 October will be extended by a month to 25 March, while fully vaccinated workers who are not yet eligible will have three months and two weeks from the date of their second dose.
Workers who are recent international arrivals must get a third dose within four weeks of arrival.
“We’re balancing the need to support our health system with the benefits of easing restrictions in a careful and sensible way,” Foley said.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report.
