Queensland's quarantine requirements will be eased for asymptomatic close contacts of those with COVID-19 from next Thursday.
It comes after New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT announced a relaxing of quarantine rules this week.
From 6pm next Thursday quarantine rules will be scrapped, with close contacts who have no symptoms instead required to wear masks indoors — and outdoors in places where they cannot socially distance — for seven days.
Close contacts must also get tested every two days before entering the community and notify an employer before returning to work.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the lifting of quarantine requirements only applied to people who are asymptomatic and test negative for COVID-19.
"If you have symptoms, you must stay at home," she said.
Quarantine scrapped for unvaccinated international arrivals
Quarantine requirements for unvaccinated international travellers will also be scrapped from next Thursday.
International arrivals will only need to return a negative COVID test within 24 hours of arriving and test further if they develop symptoms.
Ms D'Ath said some provisions for household close contacts would be at the discretion of workplaces.
"Of course, we still encourage people who can work from home, who are close contacts, to do so over those seven days."
The Health Minister said there will still be additional protections around PPE and frequency of testing for healthcare workers.
Ms D'Ath said she wanted Queensland to wait another week before easing restrictions because the state was still above the "low threshold mark" after the first Omicron wave.
"It gives our public hospitals time to see those numbers of inpatients come down a bit before we get into the winter flu season," she said.
Increase in cases expected
Queensland has recorded five new virus-related deaths and 8,080 new COVID cases in the latest reporting period.
There are 528 COVID patients being treated in hospital, 18 of whom are in intensive care.
Authorities said they expect to see an increase in COVID cases following the lifting of quarantine requirements.
"By people going out into the community, back into their workplace while they are close contacts, there is greater risk that they will become positive and spread that to other people," Ms D'Ath said.
The Health Minister strongly encouraged people to continue to register their positive RAT test results so that the government can keep monitoring the progression of the pandemic.
