Vaccine mandates have been dropped across the South Australian police force, clearing the way for officers who refused to get jabbed against COVID-19 to return to work.
The change comes as SA Health reported 2047 new virus infections on Friday along with two more deaths.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he was now confident the risks to officers and members of the community from the ongoing pandemic could be managed without the need for unvaccinated staff to be furloughed.
However, those officers will be required to take a rapid antigen test before starting work each day and wear a mask for the duration of their shift.
"At this time, I am happy to report that over 98.5 per cent of the South Australia police workforce have been vaccinated which is above the over 92 per cent of the South Australian population," Mr Stevens said.
The commissioner said while unvaccinated employees could return to their substantive duties, there would be some limitations.
That included their ability to attend some high-risk settings including aged care and disability facilities and the forensic science building.
In Friday's update, SA Health said 106 people remained in hospital with COVID-19 including nine in intensive care.
One person is on a ventilator.
Active cases across SA stand at 18,363.
Premier Steven Marshall said while the state's daily case numbers would continue to "bounce around" the most important thing was keeping the number of people in hospital low.
"That's the number we're really focused on at the moment," he said.
