THE SQUIZ
Aussies should wear masks in crowded indoor places to protect themselves from getting COVID and help slow the spread, the nation’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says. That’s his advice – it’s not an order from your premier/chief minister after yesterday’s National Cabinet meeting stopped short of making masks mandatory. They did agree on 3 things: there will be no Christmas lockdowns; Omicron is now the dominant strain across Australia (and early studies are showing it’s a milder form of COVID); and National Cabinet will meet again in a fortnight to stay on top of it. “Stay calm, get your booster, follow common-sense measures,” PM Scott Morrison said.

SO HANG ON… DO WE HAVE TO WEAR MASKS?
Well, it depends on where you are. You’re required to wear a mask in public indoor settings, including shopping, hospitality and entertainment venues in the ACT, Tassie and Queensland. Elsewhere you don’t have to wear one, but it’s recommended. Rejecting the need to bring in a nationwide rule, Morrison said Aussies are “common-sense people” and know what they need to do to protect their own health. NSW is where new COVID cases are rising to record numbers – it’s reintroducing QR code check-ins to help with contact tracing, but masks remain off the must-have list. And reports say Victoria is weighing its options.

AND WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH BOOSTERS?
There’s no change of the recommended time between your 2nd jab and booster shot – it remains at 5 months, but the official immunisation experts are looking at it. For those currently eligible, Morrison says get it ASAP. To help facilitate that, states/territories have agreed to rev up their big vaccination hubs that closed after the main vaccine rollout. One issue that’s counted against them diverting resources to the booster program are impossibly long testing queues. So aligning the definitions of ‘close’ and ‘casual’ contacts is on the to-do list, as well as some state’s requirements for people to get a test before travel (ahem Queensland…). For NSW’s part, it’s looking into providing free rapid antigen testing kits for those who don’t require a PCR test. In the meantime, if your family Christmas management strategy looks anything like this, hang in there…