The South Australian opposition will seek to eliminate jail terms and reduce fines for breaches of COVID-19 regulations among changes to the way the state manages the ongoing pandemic.
Legislation to amend the state's public health laws has gone through parliament's lower house and faces debate this week in the Legislative Council as part of the Labor government's plans to lift SA's Emergency Management Declaration by June 30.
Under the changes, the government will continue to have the power to impose vaccine and mask mandates in hospitals, aged and disability care, and other healthcare settings.
They will also allow rules to be set for virus-positive people and their close contacts.
Breaches could still be subject to a maximum penalty of a two-year jail term or a fine of up to $75,000 for a business or $20,000 for an individual.
But the new arrangments will not provide for the imposition of lockdowns, hospitality restrictions and broader mask mandates.
That would require another emergency declaration.
Health Spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said the opposition supported the transition out of the emergency declaration but did not want imprisonment or huge fines entrenched in the new rules.
"Our amendments to the bill strike a fair balance and will meet the expectations of the community as we exit the major emergency," Ms Hurn said.
"Decreases in penalties to remove imprisonment and reduce maximum sanctions by a third are important and will see the state become more aligned with penalties in other jurisdictions."
Speaking about the proposed changes earlier this month, Premier Peter Malinauskas said South Australians had been subject to the emergency declaration for more than two years and it was time for it to end.
"When the declaration ends, it is important that we still have some protections in place for our most vulnerable South Australians," he said.
"These South Australians are most at risk from being seriously ill if they contract COVID."
Health Minister Chris Picton said ending the emergency declaration did not signal an end to the pandemic.
