A federal government mandate on the wearing of face masks remains off the table, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said, while warning that the nation's hospital system will be tested by Omicron.
Mr Morrison spoke to the press following a national cabinet meeting to discuss the spread of the Omicron variant on Wednesday and said the nation's health system is well-equipped to handle the rising number of COVID-19 cases but hospitals will face a challenge in the coming weeks as the virus continues to spread.
A medical expert panel confirmed at national cabinet that wearing face masks in indoor settings is "highly recommended", despite whether they are mandatory or not, Mr Morrison said.
"Australians are common sense people and they know what they need to do to protect their own health, and so that is highly recommended along with all the normal things we've been doing with COVID," he said.
"Whether it's mandated or not, that's what we should be doing.
"In the same way that we go into the summer season, people will be slapping on a hat and slapping on the sunscreen, there's no rule or requirement to do that but it is strongly recommended health advice."
The Prime Minister said the nation's health system would "be tested" in coming weeks.
"Despite the rise in cases, hospitals and health systems remain in a strong position but, of course, they will be tested," he told reporters.
"We are well prepared for Omicron but we are not taking it anything other than very seriously in our coordinated responses."
Mr Morrison has raised his concerns about overwhelming queues at COVID-19 testing clinics for people who require a negative test result before travelling ahead of the Christmas period.
He said that people who are asymptomatic are causing "unnecessary pressure" on the public health system.
He will advise in the next fortnight as to whether returning a negative rapid antigen test for interstate travellers may suffice, or if they need to return a test at all.
"It is important that we focus PCR tests on those who are close contacts and those who are symptomatic ... and not be standing in queues with other people who are just looking to get on a plane.
"Going forward with Omicron there will need to be more of a role for individuals in self-managing and self-regulating their responses."
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has confirmed to the federal government that there is no change to the time interval for Australians to become eligible to receive their booster shot.
This means Australians will still need to wait five months before being able to get their third dose of a vaccine.
It comes as the WA government announced a third dose is now mandatory for all relevant workers who are eligible to receive their booster shot.
“The emergence of Omicron throughout the world and on the east coast is extremely concerning - case numbers are sky-rocketing as are the number of people in hospital," Premier Mark McGowan said.
“Vaccination is our best defence against this variant of concern as we prepare to ease border controls on February 5."
The use of QR codes will no longer be used as a mechanism for contact tracing in states like NSW and Victoria that have high COVID-19 case numbers, but can be utilised for other areas in the country that have lower infection rates.
Mr Morrison said "it's not going to be a realistic proposition" to rely on QR codes for high-recording regions, but will serve as beneficial for people to "self-regulate" their movements and testing requirements.
A medical expert panel will provide a recommendation on a nationalised definition around who is a close and casual contact, as well as the steps required for testing and isolation for them.
"We cannot have different rules and regulations of what a close contact is and what a casual contact is."
It is expected to bring forward their findings to the government in the coming weeks, when national cabinet will reconvene.
