Close contact rules, quarantine time, mask rules amended in South Australia
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a raft of changes to the state's COVID-19 rules.
Effective immediately, the quarantine time for household close contacts of a COVID-19 case has been decreased from 14 days to seven.
And from 12.01am tomorrow the definition of a close contact will also change in the state.
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South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas announces a change to close contact rules and mask mandates. Brett Hartwig
A close contact will be considered someone who has spent four hours of unmasked, face-to-face time with a positive COVID-19 case, compared to the previous time frame of 15 minutes.
The time period since ex-COVID cases can be classed as a close contact will also be extended from eight weeks to 12.
"This is about bringing South Australia into line with the rest of the nation," Mr Malinauskas said.
Mask mandates will also be scrapped from April 14 as long as there is no worsening of the COVID-19 situation in the state.
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Mask mandates to be scrapped from April 14 in South Australia. Getty
"The mask mandates will be removed. They'll still be required in certain high risk settings like aged care environments and the like, but the general masks mandates applying throughout the state we are looking forward to those being removed," Mr Malinauskas said.
It comes as the state recorded 4549 new cases and four more peopled with the virus died.
The four deaths are three men in their 30s, 40s and 80s, and a woman in her 90s.
There are also 157 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including six in ICU.
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