We risk turning Christmas day into a simultaneous super spreader event all across Sydney in thousands of households,” Suan said in the video. “DIY contact tracing, watered-down check in requirements, the abandonment of mask wearing mandates, and the removal of density limits are together a recipe for disaster and by the time hospital admissions and ICU cases grow beyond whatever benchmark he is working to – it will be too late,” Khorshid said in a statement.ĭan Suan, a researcher and clinical immunologist from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, said in a 17-minute Facebook video posted on Sunday that if Sydney residents don’t change their behavior in the run up to Christmas, the city could be “sleepwalking into a catastrophic disaster in January.” The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid said the “reckless” approach adopted by Perrottet was putting lives at risk.
Sydney and Melbourne relaxing isolation rules for fully vaccinated international travelers Passengers who traveled on Flight SQ237 from Singapore are seen exiting the international arrivals terminal at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia, 01 November 2021. But while vaccination is a key pillar in the country’s Covid response, a growing divide appears to have opened between the government and health experts since the emergence of Omicron. In Australia, 90.6% of people age 16 and over have been double vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. This is our moment to stand tall and lead the nation out of this pandemic,” Perrottet said. The premier said if the trajectory of an outbreak threatens to overwhelm health services the state will change its approach, but “it is time to shift the balance back to personal responsibility.” “But this is not December 2019, and since the virus first emerged, one thing above all else has changed the game: vaccination.” “One of the most powerful reflexes is the feeling that with every new case, we should lock everything down,” Perrottet said. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet echoed Prime Minister Morrison’s words in an op-ed for Australia’s Daily Telegraph on Monday, despite the rising cases in his state. But scientists still don’t know for sure if the variant causes more severe disease or to what extent existing vaccines are less effective against it. The World Health Organization said on Monday that Omicron is spreading “significantly faster” than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. The rise in infections in Australia comes as countries across much of the Asia-Pacific region are delaying their reopening plans, with some reimposing restrictions or tightening border controls over Omicron concerns. Meanwhile, Queensland state health authorities warned Tuesday they are seeing a doubling in cases every two days – a growing number of which are the Omicron variant – but said they will move forward with easing quarantine restrictions. Vincent's Bondi Covid-19 testing center on December 21, in Sydney, Australia. Long queues formed outside testing centers as thousands of people complied with orders to take a test ahead of the holiday.Ī worker speaks to people inside their cars at the St. A total of 284 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 in the state, with 39 patients in intensive care. local time Monday – a record for daily infections in the country. His comments come as New South Wales reported 3,057 cases in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. That’s how we live with the virus into the future.” “We have to move from a culture of mandates to a culture of responsibility. “We have got to get past the heavy hand of government and we’ve got to treat Australians as adults,” Morrison said at a news conference in Queensland Tuesday. On Tuesday, the country’s most populous state reported its highest new daily caseload of the pandemic, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called an emergency National Cabinet meeting to discuss the rising infections.īut he said one key message he’ll be telling state premiers is a return to lockdowns, tight social restrictions and fines for violating them is not the answer. For two years, Australia avoided the worst of the coronavirus pandemic thanks to strict border controls and prolonged lockdowns.īut Covid cases are now rising rapidly in the country, with the Omicron variant posing a new threat just as states and cities were beginning to loosen restrictions.
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