Business hails five-day Covid isolation ‘a game changer’

Business has hailed national cabinet’s decision to reduce mandatory Covid isolation requirements from seven days to five for people with no symptoms.

Anthony Albanese on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Business has hailed national cabinet’s decision to reduce mandatory Covid isolation requirements from seven days to five for people with no symptoms, declaring it a “game changer” that will help ­alleviate labour shortages.

Anthony Albanese, who labelling the move a “proportionate response at this point in the pan­demic”, also said masks would no longer be mandatory on domestic flights from September 9 – the same day the isolation changes take effect.

However, all workers in high-risk settings, including aged care and disability care, must still self-isolate for seven days.

Government sources confirmed if a person not in those settings has symptoms on day six and onwards, they should follow their state’s health advice.

“There aren’t mandated requirements for the flu or for a range of other illnesses that people suffer from,” the Prime Minister said. “What we want to do is to make sure that government responds to the changed circumstances. Covid is likely going to be around for a considerable period of time. And we need to respond appropriately to it based upon the weight of evidence.

“We had a discussion about people looking after each other, people looking after their own health,” he added.

Mr Albanese did not rule out extending pandemic leave payments worth up to $750, which are now jointly funded by the commonwealth and states. National cabinet is due to make a decision on the payments when it next meets in a fortnight.

The payments will reflect the five-day isolation rule from September 9, meaning they should be worth about $536.

Restaurant and Catering chief executive Belinda Clarke said that with the current staffing crisis, a reduction in isolation days would be a “game changer”.

“As we’ve continued to learn to live with Covid-19, we have to start becoming more flexible,” she told The Australian. “Other countries have had a five-day isolation period for months now, and this goes a long way to helping staff who are asymptomatic return to work and resume their lives.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said the decision was “overdue and welcome”, stressing it was important for people to get back to work in a more timely manner as the pandemic passes its peak.

Council of Small Business Organisations Australia chief executive Alexi Boyd said absenteeism and sick leave as a result of Covid, flu and colds had “wreaked havoc” on the sector, which was made worse by worker shortages across the economy.

“How does that impact a small-business owner? They end up working more hours,” she said.

“How does it end up impacting a small-business team? Everybody ends up having to pick up the workload. It’s not ideal.

Catherine Bennett, Deakin University’s chair in epidemiology, said she did not expect to see Covid numbers increase once the five-day rule was in place but urged Australians to consider wearing masks and avoid high-risk settings in the week after they leave isolation.

“Probably only a third of people even know they have an infection now who are infectious and are isolating, so we’re talking about the minority,” Professor Bennett told ABC TV.

“We’re taking a couple of days of isolation off the end where they’re least infectious and where the majority of people will have cleared their infection.”

States have been divided on whether to reduce the isolation time, with Western Australia’s chief health officer repeatedly ruling out moving from seven days.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet led the political campaign for a change.