NSW Cuts Quarantine Time for Health Workers Amid COVID-19 Testing Backlog

Residents queue up inside their cars for PCR tests at the St Vincent's Bondi Beach COVID-19 drive through testing clinic on December 22, 2021 in Sydney, as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps on the rise across the New South Wales state ahead of the Christmas festivities. Photo by Mohammad Farooq/AFP via Getty Images

New South Wales (NSW) has reduced the quarantine time for healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19, cutting it from 14 days to seven in a bid to better cope with rising hospitalisation and ongoing mass testing.

Around 2,000 health workers have been furloughed due to quarantine requirements around close contacts.