It's been eight months since Sydney was released from its last lockdown, and in that time, Australia has slowly been shedding many of its Covid-related mandates. Mask wearing is required only in a handful of places, returning to the office has been encouraged, and domestic and international travel are back on the cards.
But amid attempts to return to normalcy, a third wave of Omicron is giving cause for concern. In a joint press conference with health minister Mark Butler, chief medical officer Paul Kelly strongly advised that employers allow their employees to work from home where feasible, and to reinstate mask wearing in the workplace.
"There were 300,000 cases or thereabouts reported over the last seven days, and I think the CMO and I are pretty confident that the real number is likely more than double that," said Butler.
While the advice is not a mandate, Kelly adds that the new Omicron BA.5 variant is a "significant threat", with it being far more infectious than previous strains. As of July 20, 5200 Australians are currently hospitalised and of those, 158 are in ICU and 41 are ventilated.
"We cannot stop this wave of infections, but we can slow the spread and protect the vulnerable," says Kelly. "We've done this before, and we can do it again."