Strict quarantine rules for close contacts to be dumped in SA from tomorrow

Strict quarantine requirements for close contacts of people with Covid were dumped at midnight – but some rules still apply. See what the changes mean.

South Australia’s strict close contact rules will ease from midnight tonight with those in quarantine able to leave if they return a negative rapid antigen test.

The punishing rules, which see anyone exposed to a Covid-positive person for four hours forced into seven days’ quarantine will be scrapped from 12.01am Saturday, after being in force for two years.

From Saturday, if you live with an infectious person or are exposed to the virus and have no symptoms you are free to leave home if you do five RATs from the time of exposure.

Asymptomatic close contacts must wear a mask in the community and are banned from high risk settings like hospitals, aged care homes or jails.

Police Commissioner and Covid chief Grant Stevens. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

They must tell their employers and educational settings they are a close contact, and anyone who develops symptoms must take a PCR test.

They must also quarantine away from vulnerable people in that residential setting, to limit other people’s exposure to the virus.

“Close contacts should also work from home where possible and avoid non-essential gatherings and contact with people at risk of severe illness. There has been no change to the existing requirement that they cannot enter a sensitive setting such as an aged care facility for 14 days,” SA Health announced on Friday night.

The relaxed laws come two weeks after mask mandates were dropped.

Covid chiefs met last Friday to discuss the close contact rules after eastern states including Victoria, New South Wales last week announced they would scrap them.

Queensland this week axed the quarantine requirement too.

Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier advised contacts to avoid “non-essential” gatherings and people at risk of severe illness.

She urged them to work from home when possible.

“It’s really just going to be a bit of common sense in terms of those other sorts of things,” she said.

SA recorded 3733 new Covid cases on Thursday, and four more elderly people died from the virus. There are currently 25,246 active cases in the state.