Scott Morrison says he has sent urgent isolation rule changes to national cabinet this morning to address critical workforce shortages.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he has urgently sent a change to isolation requirements for workers in critical supply chain industries to national cabinet for endorsement.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Morrison said it would mean asymptomatic close contacts in food production, distribution and processing, as well as emergency services, would be able to go to work.
“So, those who are driving the truck to deliver the food, those stacking the shelves at night, those in the distribution centres, those who are in the abattoirs, the manufacturing places that are producing food,” he said.
“It’s all of those now caught up in those new critical supply chain rules and we are looking to extend those to other sectors.”
He said it would not extend to workers who deal with customers face-to-face.
Mr Morrison said that the change – approved by the medical expert panel – had been sent to states and territories for approval on Monday morning because he didn’t want to wait for the scheduled national cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“That paper is now before national cabinet for endorsement,” he said.
“I was not going to wait until Thursday for that … we agreed it should immediately go to national cabinet for endorsement, I anticipate they will happen over the course of the morning.”
Queensland and NSW have already scrapped isolation rules for critical workers to ease shortages gripping supermarkets at both the store and distribution level.
More to come.
Originally published as Scott Morrison announces change to isolation rules for workers in critical supply chain industries
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