According to plans leaked to the Sydney Morning Herald, many of the recently lifted restrictions that were put in place to tackle the Omicron surge may be reintroduced in response to recommendations by NSW Health. New cases in the state have begun to spike in recent days, with infections projected to reach 25,000 per day by the end of next week. Mask mandates in all public indoor settings, a ban on singing and dancing in public venues, density limits on hospitality venues and WFH orders would be reinstated under the proposed plans.
The recommendations were part of a presentation to NSW health minister Brad Hazzard, which was leaked to the Sydney Morning Herald. However, Hazzard told the Herald that he was “not at all keen” on bringing back the restrictions that were lifted less than a month ago on February 18, although he conceded that the plans may be actioned “as a last resort”. Concerns that the state’s hospital system will be overwhelmed by new admissions have been growing this week, as a new, highly contagious sub-variant of the Omicron strain has begun spreading in Sydney.
Hazzard said that he wanted to avoid a return to the restrictions that have “exhausted everybody,” adding, “We have had two rough, terrible years and the community has had restrictions up to the eyeballs. Bringing restrictions back in is the last possible course we want to go.”
Just 57 per cent of eligible adults in NSW have had a third ‘booster’ dose of a vaccine, which has been shown to offer significantly more protection from Omicron than just two doses, particularly for people vaccinated with AstraZeneca. On March 10, NSW reported 16,288 new cases within 24 hours, the highest daily total since January 22.