COVID-19 Update for Employers – Easing of Restrictions

Published May 2022

After New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT announced a relaxing of quarantine rules, Queensland has now decided that quarantine requirements will be eased from 6pm on 28th of April 2022.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

As quarantine rules are eased, there will be no quarantine requirements for close contacts as long as they:

  • Do not have COVID-19 symptoms;
  • Test negative every second day for a week from the day of becoming a close contract (day 0, 2, 4 and 6). A self-test using a RAT kit will be allowed, testing does not need to occur at a testing clinic;
  • Wear a mask outside of home for 7 days;
  • Do not visit any vulnerable settings (hospitals, residential aged care facilities, disability accommodation services, corrective services facilities and detention centres) for 7 days; and
  • Let their employer know they are a close contact, and work from home if possible.

CLOSE CONTACTS

You are a close contact if:

  • Have been with a person that has COVID-19 for more than four hours in a house or other accommodation, a care facility or similar; and
  • You live with a person that has COVID-19.
  • However, if you have stayed away from them in a separate, self-contained area such as a granny flat, you are not a close contact.

You are not a close contact if:

  • You have had COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks.
  • You live with a close contact but not with someone that has COVID-19.

QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS EASE

Quarantine requirements for unvaccinated international travellers will also be easing from 6pm on 28th of April 2022. This means that international arrivals will only need to return a negative COVID test within 24 hours of arriving and test further if they develop symptoms.

WORKING FROM HOME (WFH)

While many employers have returned their teams to the office, some workplaces and workers continue to work from home, depending on their circumstances. We still encourage people who can work from home, who are close contacts, to do so over those seven days. If you still have team members WFH, it is important to document their arrangement that will offer guidance to support your employees in the efficient delivery of service whilst at home and to manage health and safety risks.

If you have employees working from home, don’t forget to contact our team for a free WFH toolkit and read our update on Getting Your Team Setup to Successfully Work From Home.

Our toolkit contains a Work From Home Policy, Employee Agreement and Home Workspace Assessment – everything you need to get your team setup and working well!

FURTHER INFORMATION

We encourage all businesses to familiarise themselves with the continuously updated information found on the Fair Work Ombudsman website here, along with the Safe Work Australia website here – the pages have comprehensive FAQ pages which we are confident you will find useful.

This update is limited to the state of Queensland and frequently changing so please be sure to keep an eye on the Qld Government website here and refer to our latest COVID-19 update here.

As each state update may differ from Qld, if you are located in NSW, stay up to date here and Victoria updates here.

As always, the team at Edwards HR are here to answer your questions and provide support across all areas of HR. You can reach us on the details below:

Emma Edwards – 0459 818 011 or emma@edwardshr.com.au

Jill Kirkpatrick – 07 3568 0866 or jill@edwardshr.com.au

Lois Alford – 0497 497 342 or lois@edwardshr.com.au

Feel free to share this update with your network.

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