South Australian Premier Steven Marshall says he's hopeful that extended quarantine for close contacts of COVID-19 Omicron cases can be removed soon.
SA has at least two confirmed cases of the new variant and its arrival last week prompted the state government to increase the isolation requirement for close contacts at exposure sites from seven to 14 days.
But Mr Marshall says as more information about the new strain emerges, it's hoped the extra requirements can be removed.
"We are taking a prudent approach because we do not want a massive Omicron outbreak in the lead-up to Christmas," the premier said.
"But I'm hopeful we'll have some good news for those people who are in 14 days quarantine and who are fully vaccinated later this week."
The quarantine change will be considered at Tuesday's meeting of the state's transition committee.
Mr Marshall said he understood there had been 13 new COVID-19 cases reported on Monday with the majority of those believed to be the Delta variant.
That will take SA's number of active infections to above 70 while a growing number of exposure sites has forced more than 2000 people into isolation.
Mr Marshall said he understood that those placed in isolation were making a "sacrifice" to ensure the majority of South Australians could experience a relatively normal Christmas.
"We appreciate that sacrifice," he said.
However, the premier said far fewer people were being required to quarantine now SA had moved away from the "elimination phase" to the "suppression phase" with its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
