Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has welcomed a move by the NSW and Victorian governments to roll back isolation requirements for close contacts of COVID-19 patients.
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Health officials from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee in NSW and Victoria are now considering scrapping a requirement for household contacts of COVID-positive people to isolate for seven days.
The guidelines, already in place for frontline workers, allow people exposed to COVID-19 to keep working if they have no symptoms and can wear protective equipment.
"Obviously over summer, and particularly in relation to nursing, the decision was made to allow household contacts who are asymptomatic in critical sectors to continue to work if they follow testing requirements and (wear personal protective equipment)," Mr Hunt said Tuesday.
"The next step is to consider expanding that definition through the AHPPC ... and it has worked well with our nurses.
"People have been very responsible. If they've had symptoms, they've not come to work."
It comes as NSW reported 8752 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, as cases in the state remain under 10,000 for the sixth consecutive day.
Case numbers jumped by 3836 from the previous day and the number of people in hospital increased by five to 1293, with 71 of those people in ICU.
Five of those who died were in their 60s and 70s, five were in their 80s and four were in their 90s.
Three of those who died were not vaccinated, seven people had received two doses and four people had received their booster doses.
In the state's vaccine rollout, 51.7 per cent of people over the age of 16 in NSW have now had a booster.
In children, 86.3 per cent of 12-15 year olds have had one dose of a vaccine, 79 per cent of 12-15 year olds have had two doses and 46.7 per cent of five-11 year olds have had one dose.
Australian Associated Press
