Mr Morrison encouraged state premiers to ease the isolation rules despite an expected uptick in Covid cases during winter.

The prime minister said it was ultimately a decision for premiers to make, but they needed to weigh up the economic consequences of keeping the current rules in place.

“I have always been a fan of these isolation rules being eased,” he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

“I know the impact it has on the economy – of people not being able to go to work, the impact on caring for children, and the disruption it has.”

He was speaking before Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced rules requiring proof of vaccination before people could enter pubs, cafes and most other public venues will be scrapped from April 14.

The premier said the high rate of vaccinations had protected the vast majority of Queenslanders from the virus.

Hospitals, aged care, airports, child care centres and other vulnerable places will continue to have vaccine mandates.

“The restrictions we had in place did their job,” Ms Palaszczuk said, adding that more than 90 per cent of Queenslanders aged 12 and over had been fully vaccinated.

She said it was time for Queenslanders to “reunite” and move to a new post-pandemic normal.

The Northern Territory also announced it would scrap vaccine mandates for most places.

The move on vaccine mandates and prime minister’s comments on isolation rules come after the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee recommended a nationally consistent approach to transition away from close contact quarantine requirements.

But some experts say a surge in the number of flu cases could possibly be delayed until 2023, based on the recent experience of people in the northern hemisphere.

“Countries like the United States had influenza, but their experience wasn’t as bad as what was expected after two years of few (flu) cases circulating,” infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon told AAP.

Professor Collignon said while it was a good idea to have a flu vaccine this year, Australia may only see the return of widespread flu cases in winter 2023 as international travel numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.

“The pandemic is not yet over,” he said.

“We haven’t had any flu for two years (in Australia), but we can’t predict what’s in store.”

Despite the move to ease restrictions, both state and federal leaders continued to urge people to get vaccinated agains the virus.

This year, people aged 65 and older, Indigenous Australians aged at least 50, disability care residents and the immunocompromised are eligible for a fourth vaccine dose.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said anyone eligible for a winter Covid-19 shot should come forward.

“You can pair it with your annual flu shot, which will help protect you against both the flu and Covid-19 this winter,” he said in a statement.

“Vaccines are your best protection against the most severe impacts of Covid and may provide protection against long Covid.

“Even if you have had Covid-19, it is important to maximise your protection from severe illness and have a booster.”

The decision, in time for Easter, means people will not have to show proof of their vaccination to enter venues such as theme parks, casinos, cinemas, weddings, showgrounds, galleries, libraries and museums.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said businesses and patrons are being given plenty of notice.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the evidence was that the state had passed the peak of the second wave of the Omicron variant, meaning high vaccination rates had protected most people.

He said a good indication that Queensland had passed the worst of the pandemic was that there were just four patients with Covid on ventilators out of a population of five million.

However, both the Premier and Dr Gerrard urged those who had not received a vaccine to get the jab or se a health professional if they had any concerns.

He said it was very unlikely the restrictions would be reimposed.

Queensland recorded another 9946 cases and eight deaths with the virus on Tuesday.

-with AAP