Queensland ready to embrace ‘new normal’

QUEENSLAND is set to scrap the close contact isolation requirement, along with other Covid restrictions as the state heads towards a “new ew normal”.

From 6pm on April 28 in Queensland, close contacts of positive cases will no longer be required to isolate for seven days as the state learns to live with Covid.

Close contacts will now be required to wear face masks in indoor settings when they leave the home, avoid “highrisk” settings such as hospitals, and use rapid antigen tests every two days.

Residents will still need to contact their employer and alert them of their Covid status. Queenslanders will no longer need to show their vaccination passports or check in when entering pubs, clubs, cafes or restaurants. The major shift comes after the state is believed to have passed the peak of the Omicron surge.

The state is also set to welcome unvaccinated international arrivals from Thursday. Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’ath (pictured) praised the state’s vaccination rates.