Last updated 22/4/2022
NSW
From 6pm on Friday 22 April, close contacts (defined as a household contact or an individual deemed by NSW Health to be a close contact) will not have to isolate, as long as they have no symptoms and comply with the following guidelines:
- Do not visit aged care, hospitals, disability, and correctional facilities unless a special exemption applies;
- Wear a face mask in indoor settings outside the home;
- Undertake daily RAT tests before coming into close contact with people outside their household, where practicable;
- Avoid contact with elderly and immunocompromised persons where possible;
- Work from home where practical;
- Notify their employer/educational facility that they are a close contact, and that they are not required to isolate as long as they comply with the above.
Close contacts will need to comply with the above guidelines for 7 days from the time a person in their household tested positive for COVID-19.
Public health orders requiring key workforces to be vaccinated will be lifted, with vaccine requirements to be based on risk assessments under occupational work health and safety, in line with other jurisdictions. Orders requiring aged care and disability workers to be vaccinated will remain in force.
Venues may set their own COVID Safe conditions of entry. Premises may choose to require people to be fully vaccinated or to wear a mask as a condition of entry. It is a matter for the occupier of each premises to exercise judgement on what is appropriate for their premises and the well-being of their staff and customers.
From 12 January 2021, if you test positive for COVID-19 from a rapid antigen test (RAT), you must register your test result with Service NSW.
For the latest Covid information, visit COVID19 NSW Rules or call 13 77 88.
Victoria
Victoria will move into winter safely with most restrictions removed from 11:59pm, Friday 22 April.
Patrons won’t be required to have two doses or show their vaccination status before entering any venue.
The requirement for staff and patrons of venues to check-in using the Service Victoria app will end, with operators not required to keep any attendance records or maintain a check-in marshal.
Masks will no longer be required in primary schools, early childhood, hospitality and retail settings, or at events of any size.
Close contacts will no longer have to quarantine – provided they wear a mask indoors and avoid sensitive settings. They will also need to undertake at least five negative rapid tests over the seven days that would previously have been the self-quarantine period.
All visitor restrictions in hospitals will be removed except for mask requirements, with health services able to tailor their own settings based on their own circumstances.
Events with more than 30,000 people will no longer require public health pre-approval.
International travellers who are symptom-free will be recommended but not required to get a PCR or rapid test on arrival, and unvaccinated travellers will no longer complete 7 days’ quarantine. Pre-departure tests for unvaccinated air crew will also be lifted.
People are exempt from testing or quarantine for 12 weeks if they’ve had COVID-19 – up from 8 weeks.
Individuals will be required to notify their workplace contacts, in addition to informing their social contacts. Workplaces won’t have to individually identify and notify each potentially exposed worker.
A number of critical and common-sense settings will be retained, including the essential requirement to isolate for seven days following a COVID-19 diagnosis and existing two-dose and three-dose vaccination mandates for workers.
Visitor restrictions in care facilities will be retained to protect the vulnerable. Residents can currently have up to five visitors per day if each show a negative rapid antigen test result – or two visitors if no test results are provided.
Face coverings will still be required on public transport and at airports – excluding airport workers who aren’t public facing – and in sensitive health, aged care and justice settings. All workplaces will still require a COVIDSafe Plan.
Many rules which are no longer required will be recommended, including working from home if you're a close contact exempt from quarantine. Masks are strongly recommended when you can’t physically distance.
If you test positive for Covid-19 via a rapid antigen test, you should report the result, either by phoning 1800 675 398 or fill in the online form.
For the latest information visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria | Coronavirus Victoria or call the 24/7 COVID-19 hotline: 1800 675 398.
South Australia
- Masks for disability care facilities
- Masks for prisons, correctional facilities, training centres, other places of custody
- Masks for public and private hospitals
- Masks for health care services and pathology collection centres including:
- general practice
- pharmacies
- private and public medical specialist services and practices
- private and public mental health services and practices including drug and alcohol services
- private and public allied health services
- services provided by social workers in a public or private health care centre
- private complementary and alternative therapy services and practices including Chinese medicine practitioners
- community health services including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
- private and public dental services
- private and public reproductive services and sexual health services including termination of pregnancy
- private and public radiology services including screening services
- private and public disability and rehabilitation services.
- Masks for passenger transport services
If you test positive using a rapid antigen test, you must report your result within 24 hours. Report your result using this online form. If you don’t have internet access, you can report your result by calling the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787.
For the latest information and full details please visit the SA government Covid Restrictions page or call 1800 253 787 (9am - 5pm, 7 days per week).
ACT
COVID-19 Safety Plans must be prepared by certain businesses and able to be produced if requested by an authorised officer.
Check In CBR is still required at certain public entertainment venues:
- Licensed bars and pubs
- Registered clubs
- Nightclubs
- Strip clubs and brothels
Certain organised public events that are not ticketed or pre-registered, are also required to use Check in CBR. This includes organised events conducted on a one-off or periodic basis which are open to the public and are publicly announced or advertised. For example, conferences, markets (exc food markets) and music events.
As of 6pm Friday 25 February, face masks are only required in certain settings.
If you test positive with a rapid antigen test (RAT) you have COVID-19. You should immediately isolate and report your positive test result.
For the latest information visit the ACT Government's website or call (02) 6207 7244.
Northern Territory
Northern Territory Government booster vaccination direction for mandated workers
It is mandatory for workers in certain settings across the Northern Territory to get the COVID-19 vaccination and show evidence of this to their employer to continue working in the same role.
Read the full direction.
Booster vaccinations
All workers under the mandatory vaccination direction, will be required to have a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This will be done in two phases and applies to all people aged 18 years and over. Workers in high-risk settings (such as healthcare facilities, family violence shelters and homeless shelters) will be required to have a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 11 March 2022.
The remainder of Territory workers included in the mandatory vaccination policy, will be required to have their third dose by Friday 22 April 2022. You are required to be fully vaccinated, if in the course of your work: You come into contact with vulnerable people; Your workplace poses a high risk of infection.
Workers who have had COVID-19, will be provided with a six-week exemption but should get their booster dose as soon as they have recovered and have no symptoms.
You are no longer required to wear a face mask in most indoor settings in the Northern Territory, but wearing a mask remains recommended. Wearing masks reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Face masks must be worn in the following high risk settings:
- hospitals and health care facilities
- aged care facilities
- disability residential facilities
- correctional facilities
- family violence, sobering up and homeless shelters.
Children under the age of 12 do not need to wear a mask.
Queensland
From 1am AEST Thursday 14 April 2022, the requirement to check-in and to be fully vaccinated in a range of venues and events has ended. Vaccination and check-in requirements are still in place for hospitals, disability accommodation services, residential aged care and corrective services facilities.
Face masks continue to be required in healthcare settings, residential aged care, disability accommodation, on public transport, in prisons, detention centres, airports, on planes and in other specific situations.
If you test positive in a rapid antigen test (RAT) it is very likely that you have COVID-19. You must immediately isolate and report your positive test result.
View the requirements for workers in healthcare settings.
For further information visit the QLD health website or call 13 42 68.
Western Australia
Based on the latest health advice, public health measures will be relaxed further from 12.01am, Thursday 14 April.
Gatherings
No limits to home and private outdoor gatherings
Density and capacity limits
The 500 patron limit removed for hospitality venues, nightclubs, convention centres or function centres
The 2 square metre rule remains in effect.
For entertainment venues such as indoor or outdoor cinemas, theatres, concert halls, live music venues, or a convention centre, the capacity limit is either the 2 square metre rule or 75% fixed seating capacity, whichever is greater.
Close contacts
Refined close contact definition to align with National Cabinet’s definition.
A close contact is now defined as:
- a household member or intimate partner of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infectious period,
- someone who has had close personal interaction with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period, where they spent 4 hours of cumulative contact with them in a residential setting, (i.e. a home, accommodation facility) where masks have been removed by both people for all of this period
- someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact.The refined close contact definition means schools will no longer need to contact trace classroom or equivalent contacts when school resumes for Term 2.
Contact registration
Contact registration will only be required for people visiting a hospital
Proof of vaccination requirements remain unchanged
COVID-19 testing for travellers into WA
Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) on arrival will not be required for international and domestic travellers
RATs will still be available for all travellers arriving into WA
People are encouraged to take up use of the free RATs.
The government of Western Australia has established a self-reporting positive RAT service.
Call the coronavirus (COVID-19) information helpline on 13 COVID (13 26843) or visit the WA health website.
Tasmania
Under the Contact Tracing Direction, every person 16 years of age or older attending a range of businesses, organisations and events (including staff) is required to provide their information for contact tracing using the free Check in TAS app.
Register your business for the Check in TAS app.
Counsellors who hold a Masters of Counselling from a tertiary institution are required to have had two doses of an approved COVID19 vaccine in Tasmania. Art therapists, music therapists, and rehabilitation counsellors are required to have two doses of an approved vaccine regardless of the qualification they hold.
Face mask update
In many situations you will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors. This applies to both customers/visitors and staff
Wearing a face mask is mandatory for people aged 12 years and older (unless exempt) in these high-risk and vulnerable settings:
- Hospitals (not patients)
- Residential aged care facilities (not residents) and in-home and community aged care
- Residential disability care facilities (not residents) and in-home care, including disability support provider and NDIS-funded services
- Correctional facilities (not prisoners/detainees)
- Health care and medical facilities and services/treatments, including allied health
- Primary (teachers/staff/visitors only) and secondary schools (including students)
- Early childhood services, including childcare
- Public transport eg buses, passenger ferries, taxis and rideshare services
- Airports and aircraft
- the Spirit of Tasmania and ports.
If you test positive on a RAT, you must register your positive test result.
For more information call the the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 or visit the Department of Health website.
Looking for information around human rights and ethical practice regarding vaccination? Read our covid vaccination and practice FAQs.