COVID-19 rule update NSW, Victoria and ACT – 22nd April 2022

22 Apr 2022

The information below contains information relevant to veterinary businesses, as provided by the  Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, of which the AVA is a member.  

 

NSW: 

From 6pm on Friday 22nd April:  

  • Close contacts (defined as a household contact or an individual deemed by NSW Health to be a close contact) will not have to isolate, as long as they have no symptoms and comply with the following guidelines:  
    • Do not visit aged care, hospitals, disability, and correctional facilities unless a special exemption applies;  
    • Wear a face mask in indoor settings outside the home;  
    • Undertake daily RAT tests before coming into close contact with people outside their household, where practicable;  
    • Avoid contact with elderly and immunocompromised persons where possible;  
    • Work from home where practical;  
    • Notify their employer/educational facility that they are a close contact, and that they are not required to isolate as long as they comply with the above.  
  • Close contacts will need to comply with the above guidelines for 7 days from the time a person in their household tested positive for COVID-19.  
  • Public health orders requiring key workforces to be vaccinated will be lifted, with vaccine requirements to be based on risk assessments under occupational work health and safety, in line with other jurisdictions. Orders requiring aged care and disability workers to be vaccinated will remain in force.  
  • The critical worker exemptions from isolation rules will no longer be required. However, close contacts will still need to comply with any COVID-19 safety measures that have been put in place in their workplace by employers.  

 

VICTORIA:

Victoria has confirmed new rules from 11.59pm on Friday 22nd April.  

  • Close contacts will no longer have to quarantine – provided they wear a mask indoors and avoid sensitive settings. They will also need to undertake at least five negative rapid tests over the seven days that would previously have been the self-quarantine period.  
  • People are exempt from testing or quarantine for 12 weeks after they have had COVID-19 – up from 8 weeks.  
  • Individuals will be required to notify their workplace contacts, in addition to informing their social contacts. Workplaces won’t have to individually identify and notify each potentially exposed worker.  
  • A number of critical and common-sense settings will be retained, including the essential requirement to isolate for seven days following a COVID-19 diagnosis and existing two-dose and three-dose vaccination mandates for workers.  
  • All workplaces will still require a COVIDSafe Plan.  

 

 

ACT: 

From 11.59pm on Tuesday 26th April:  

  • Household contacts will not have to quarantine if they have no COVID-19 symptoms, but will be required to minimise their movement in the community and comply with risk mitigation requirements including mask wearing indoors, COVID testing requirements and not entering high-risk settings. 
  • Household contacts must advise ACT Health that they are a household contact by completing a COVID-19 online declaration form. Household contacts who are symptomatic or cannot comply with risk mitigation requirements will still need to comply with quarantine requirements. A household contact must not leave their home if they develop any symptoms of COVID-19 – they should undergo COVID-19 testing and isolate until a negative result is received. Even if their test is negative, they must stay at home until their symptoms resolve. 
  • Notify their employer and/or educational facility that they are a household contact. This will assist employers and educational facilities to determine whether the household contact can work or study from home or can attend the facility following an assessment of risks in accordance with work health and safety obligations. 
  • The government would work with unions to determine which industries would still require workers to be vaccinated, with the health and education sectors likely to keep the vaccine mandate.