Australian leaders redefine 'close contact' meaning

Australia's national leaders signed off on a new, nationally-consistent definition of a COVID-19 close contact on Thursday.

National Cabinet leaders from all the states and territories agreed a close contact will be classified as someone who has spent four hours or more with a confirmed case in a household or household-like setting, said Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

He said he hoped this would reduce the number of people going for PCR COVID-19 tests, and ensure large numbers of essential workers aren't taken out of the workforce unnecessarily.