South Australia to host trial halving quarantine period for vaccinated returned travellers
By Eric TlozekSouth Australia could introduce shorter quarantine periods, at home, for returning international travellers, if they are vaccinated.
Key points:
- During the trial the quarantine period for vaccinated South Australians returning home would be halved
- SA Premier Steven Marshall says the details are yet to be finalised
- Any changes will need to be approved by SA Health before coming into effect
The Prime Minister said South Australia would host a trial of halving the quarantine period for vaccinated travellers, who would be in monitored home quarantine.
"SA has indicated that they will be seeking to work with the Commonwealth, having the necessary digital applications to support that," Scott Morrison said.
"It would be a very small-scale trial, but we want to make sure before it goes to any scaled-up use we have worked through that, and this will be a transparent exercise with other states and territories."
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said the details were yet to be finalised.
"No changes to quarantine arrangements for this trial will be made unless it is approved by SA Health and would not come into effect until later this year," he said.
"Changes will only be for South Australians wanting to return home to this state."
The chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, Catherine Bennett, told the ABC the idea was sensible.
"If you have a vaccine, (are) fully vaccinated, we know your risk of infection drops dramatically, and we know if you are infected you tend to have a lower viral load, you are less infectious to other people, and you probably have a shorter infection," she said.
Dr Bennett said allowing vaccinated people to stay in monitored home quarantine could help bring many stranded Australians back from overseas.
"The people that get the vaccine are in a different risk position and we should use that so that we do take pressure off our hotel quarantine.
"That then allows us to bring more people back."
South Australian president of the Australian Medical Association Chris Moy urged caution until there was more information about the effects of the vaccine.
"There is no information about whether they can reduce an infective period, so therefore you know the idea about reducing the time period for quarantine is something that still doesn't quite match up with the current science," he said.
South Australians in the Adelaide CBD had mixed reactions to the plan.
"Definitely not, because we're COVID-free, so keep it that way," Celena Aardenburg told the ABC.
David Watts, of North Haven, was in favour of the trial.
"I'd agree, if they have been vaccinated, it should be halved," he said.
"But they've still got to make sure they're healthy by testing them afterwards."
David McManus was apprehensive about the trial.
"It's very awkward to be the trial for something which is so precarious as is, so to really, possibly, endanger everyone to try out something that might be a bit more convenient for a [few] more people doesn't seem ideal," he said.