NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says the nation needs to “move away” from public health orders, to a system where individual employees judge whether they’re well enough to go to work.

His comments follow a national cabinet decision on Wednesday to cut the Covid-19 isolation period from seven to five days.

“I do believe we need to move away from public health orders and we need to move to a place where if you’re sick you stay at home, and if you’re not sick you go to work,” he told the ABC on Thursday.

“And that we respect each other … That’s the cultural change where we need to get to, rather than having mandates in place.

“Ultimately, the point we need to get to is a less reliance on public health orders and a greater reliance on people respecting each other.”

When asked if the mandatory isolation period would be scrapped altogether at the end of the year, Perrottet said he didn’t want to “pre-empt” that decision.

The reduction in isolation requirements for people who no longer have symptoms will come into effect from September 9.

The seven-day isolation directive will remain in place for workers in high-risk settings.

Leading epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett said it is unlikely there would be more infectious people in the community, given about one in three people know they have an infection and are isolating.

“We’re talking about the minority and we taking a couple of days of isolation off the end where they’re least infectious and where the majority of people will have cleared their infection,” she told the ABC.

New data revealed 75 per cent of people had cleared the virus by seven days, Bennett said.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the changes would help ease crippling workforce shortages by releasing people from isolation.

“With businesses recording worsening staff absences, this change will enable more employees to return to work earlier, ensuring businesses can keep their doors open and keep the economy moving,” chief executive Andrew McKellar said.

Under the changes, face masks on domestic flights will also become voluntary.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state and territory leaders, agreed to the decisions at their meeting following a health briefing from the Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd.

Albanese said it was an appropriate time to reduce the requirements.

The pandemic leave disaster payment will also move to cover the same isolation period from September 9.
Leaders will meet in a fortnight to discuss the future of paid pandemic leave, which is due to wrap up at the end of this month.

Australia recorded 69 Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, and more than 13,000 cases.