Good news everyone! After two years into this pandemic, the New South Wales Government and Victorian Government are scrapping a bunch of COVID-19 restrictions.
Both states appear to have passed the peak of the current Omicron wave, according to an NSW public health expert and Victorian government sources via The Sydney Morning Herald. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Wednesday the new rules gave more responsibility to the individual in protecting themselves and the people around them in their day-to-day lives.
The changes vary between each state but they all come into effect on Friday, April 22nd. So let’s get into it.
Changes to NSW COVID-19 Restrictions
From 6pm on Friday, April 22nd:
- You won’t have to isolate if you’re a household contact or close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID.
- But household contacts or close contacts won’t be able to visit high-risk environments such as hospitals and aged care facilities. You also will need to wear masks indoors when you’re not at home, work from home where possible and do daily RATs before you see a mate or family during the seven days you would have previously been in iso.
- Vaccine mandates will be scrapped for every industry but healthcare, aged care and disability support. Vaccine mandates for other industries will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under occupational health and safety, via 9News.
From April 30th:
- Unvaccinated returning travelers from overseas won’t be required to do hotel quarantine.
Changes to Victoria COVID-19 Restrictions
From 11:59pm on Friday, April 22nd:
- You won’t need to be fully vaccinated to enter a venue.
- You won’t be required to check-in using the Service Victoria app. Businesses won’t be required to keep a record of who entered their venue too.
- Close contacts won’t have to isolate. But the Victorian Government recommends they still wear a mask indoors when outside their home and take at least five negative RATs over the seven days they would have been in iso.
- Individuals will need to tell their close contacts at work and outside that they’ve tested positive. Workplaces will no longer be held responsible to identify each potential exposed employee.
- Events with more than 30,000 people won’t need to be pre-approved by public health.
- You’ll only need to wear a mask in hospitals, aged care facilities, courts, airports and on public transport. But workplaces will still need a COVIDSafe plan and the government recommends you wear them when you can’t physically distance.
- You won’t need to get tested or quarantine for COVID if you tested positive for the virus in the past 12 weeks. Previously the exemption was eight weeks after a positive result.
