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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Lucy Bladen

ACT to consider health advice around scrapping close contact rules

ACT health authorities will consider advice around scrapping isolation rules for close contacts and what measures would be appropriate in the lead-up to winter.

Leaders agreed at a national cabinet meeting on Friday to remove the isolation requirement as soon as possible with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to be consulted on the appropriate transition for each jurisdiction.

The territory government has not made any decisions around its timeline for ditching the rules. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said decisions on public health settings would be based on the latest health advice.

"The AHPPC will meet in the near future to make recommendations on key settings over winter. Further details of any proposed measures and the implications will then be considered out-of-session by national cabinet," Mr Barr said in a statement.

Canberra health authorities are working on plans to respond to increased demand, which is likely to come in the winter months.

Mr Barr again reaffirmed restrictions may need to be tightened if the situation deteriorates or if there is a new variant.

"The ACT may need to tighten health measures in response to a new COVID-19 variant, particularly if increased transmission leads to pressure on health system capacity," he said.

"Any new restrictions will be proportionate to the level of risk, with a focus on reducing impacts on our hospital and public health systems and protecting vulnerable Canberrans."

ACT health authorities are preparing for a rise in COVID cases as the BA.2 Omicron sub-lineage is expected to become the dominant strain in the territory.

But while case numbers are expected to increase, authorities don't anticipate a rise in hospitalisations.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said changes to quarantine requirements will be based on health advice. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
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