Australia to end mandatory home isolation for COVID patients

SYDNEY: Australia will end the mandatory five-day home quarantine for COVID-infected people on Oct. 14, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday, as the country scrapped one of the last remaining restrictions from the pandemic era.

"We want a policy that promotes resilience and capacity-building and reduces a reliance on government intervention," Albanese said during a media briefing.

After largely containing the virus through tough border restrictions and snap lockdowns earlier in the pandemic, Australia began living with the virus from early this year through a staggered easing of curbs in the wake of higher vaccinations.