Masks will no longer be mandatory in all enclosed public spaces South Australia after midnight on Thursday.

They will still need to be used in high-risk settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities and residential disability settings.

They will also remain mandatory for people using public transport, taxis and other ride-share services and at airports and in prisons.

The requirement for students to wear masks in schools will be re-evaluated towards the end of the school holidays.

Peter Malinauskus made the announcements following this morning’s meeting of the State Cabinet’s Emergency Management Council.

He also said QR check-ins will also no longer be required anywhere outside of high-risk settings.

The Premier said the wider QR system would be ‘mothballed’ in case it was needed again in the future.

The current close-contact arrangements will remain in place.

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier told the press conference 4401 new cases of COVID-19 were reported today - an increase of 120 from Monday.

There are 232 people in hospital with COVID, including 12 people in intensive care and two requiring ventilation.

She reported that six people had died while infected with COVID-19; a woman in her 50s, a man and a woman in their 60s, two men in their 80s and a woman in her 90s.

Epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman said in a tweet before the press conference that he believed that lifting the mask mandate was premature.

He said it sent the wrong message that the epidemic was over and that many vulnerable people still haven't been able to get their fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Premier Malinauskus said the numbers of new infections was well below the 8000 cases per day that had been originally predicted and were going down.

He said he was providing South Australians with more choice over whether to wear a mask in public areas.

“Wearing masks is a choice,” he said.

“There is nothing wrong with choosing to wear a mask.”