Experts urged mandatory COVID-19 isolation requirements to remain as they are, as state governments consider whether to cut them.
With persistent worker shortages and pandemic fatigue, there have been renewed calls for states to reduce mandatory COVID isolation to five days from seven days.
But a leading epidemiologist warned against the change, and said it would cause infectious people to venture into the community.
University of South Australia professor of biostatistics Adrian Esterman told The New Daily that five days of isolation would be largely ineffective.
‘‘Many people are still infectious [after five days],’’ he said.
‘‘You wouldn’t want them wandering around the community.’’
Perrottet’s push
It follows NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet signalling he will again push for a shorter COVID isolation period.
Most states and territories require seven days of isolation for people confirmed with the virus.
However, Mr Perrottet said Australia ‘‘should have a national approach’’, and flagged his intent to put mandatory isolation on the agenda when national cabinet meets again on August 31.
Australia’s pandemic response must evolve with the virus, but support for workers should remain regardless of the isolation period, Mr Perrottet said on Monday.
“If the state government, federal government, mandate isolation and deprive people of their living, the [government] should compensate them, and I’m not resiling from that point,” he said.
His renewed push came as industries around the country continue to grapple with crippling staff shortages.
The nation’s food industry bodies released data on Monday that showed the food supply chain is short by at least 172,000 workers.
Significant labour shortages would wreak further havoc on food supply and prices, the Food Supply Chain Alliance said on Monday.
It warned that high prices and reduced availability would continue throughout 2022 ‘‘and beyond’’, unless solutions to the worker shortage were found.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said Victoria was in a situation where it had more jobs available than people.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re skilled or unskilled, there are jobs if you’re working,” he said.
“It’s across the board – across regional Victoria and metropolitan Victoria, it’s all the same. They just can’t get enough people. You see it in the hospitality sector, you see it in the retail sector. There are businesses that can’t open because they don’t have staff.”
Simply not sensible
State governments adjusted isolation rules earlier this year to account for worker shortages, with household contacts no longer needing to isolate unless they returned a positive test.
In the US, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention requires people with COVID-19 to isolate for at least five days.
Britain scrapped COVID isolation requirements entirely in February, so positive cases are free to move around the community.
But Professor Esterman said those countries had ‘‘lost the plot’’ on COVID management, and Australia shouldn’t feel pressured to play catch-up.
‘‘Two-thirds of people are still infectious after five days,’’ he said.
‘‘You’re still getting a good percentage, like 30 or 40 per cent, shedding virus particles after seven days … So no, I don’t think it’s a good idea.’’
The five-day proposal was first brought up at a national cabinet meeting in July. However, it did not get the backing of medical experts before the BA.4/5 Omicron variant wave’s expected peak.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Adelaide radio station FIVEaa on July 18 that it was not the time to cut isolation rules.
“The advice that is there from the chief medical officer, Professor [Paul] Kelly, was that now is certainly not the time for that to be reconsidered,” Mr Albanese said.
Professor Esterman said it was difficult to determine what the consequences of reducing isolation would be.
But with various sub-variants still circulating around the country, he said a potential change would be ‘‘sketchy’’.
‘‘I don’t think [five days of isolation] is sensible. I think we should probably keep it at seven days with testing procedure around it,’’ he said.
