Anzac Day: health authorities urge Covid-19 precautions at gatherings

Health officials are urging Australians to take Covid-19 precautions at Anzac Day commemorations despite restrictions easing in most states and territories.

With many jurisdictions preparing for the return of full-scale Anzac Day services after two Covid-disrupted years, Victoria’s health department has shared risk-mitigation tips.

It recommends patrons wear a mask when unable to physically distance, particularly in crowds or indoor environments.

Those who are symptomatic are encouraged to stay home and get tested, while people meeting indoors should open doors and windows to maximise air flow.

“As important as the Anzac Day march and our dawn services are, there may be elderly and vulnerable people there we need to protect,” chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said on Sunday.

Seven-day isolation for close contacts is no longer mandatory in NSW or Victoria as daily case numbers plateau or dip amid the current Omicron sub-variant wave.

New South Wales recorded eight Covid deaths and 11,107 new cases on Sunday while two people died with Covid and there were 7,104 cases in Victoria.

Prof Nancy Baxter, an epidemiologist told ABC News the number of cases was still too high to have relaxed the rules for close contacts.

“Although we seem to be over the hump of the second Omicron wave, we still have a very, very high number of Covid cases in our community and a high number of Covid deaths,” Prof Baxter told the ABC on Sunday.

“And we know that with the high risk of household transmission, if those people are not isolating, we are going to increase the risk of further transmission outside the household. So, I think what we’re going to end up with is a high plateau of cases.”

She said it was difficult to determine the chance of contracting the virus if you are a household contact, but estimated they had a 25% to 50% chance of becoming a Covid case.

Household contact quarantine rules will be ditched in the ACT after Anzac Day, while Queensland is moving to scrap quarantine for unvaccinated international arrivals by Thursday.

South Australia will also drop the requirement for close contact isolation from 30 April, but they must take five rapid antigen tests over seven days.

Masks will also be required outside the home, high-risk settings like aged care centres will be off limits and employers and schools will need proof of status.

Vaccination status and check-in requirements for social and sporting venues are being wound back in Victoria, although mandates for workers in multiple industries have been retained.

NSW is shifting to a risk assessment model, with household contacts of positive cases no longer needing to isolate for seven days, so long as they continue to test negative.

They should still work from home where possible and avoid high-risk settings.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee says it would be appropriate to drop some stricter restrictions, once the current wave of infections has peaked.

But authorities also warn infection rates may spike as restrictions ease.

More than 31,000 new Covid-19 cases have been recorded across Australia along with 17 deaths on Sunday, as the national toll since the start of the pandemic nears 7,000.

6,987 Australians have lost their lives to coronavirus, with NSW and Victoria accounting for 79% of the deaths.