Territory Sets Again Record Cases Of COVID-19 Infection, Victorian Prime Minister Fines For Taking Off Masks

JAKARTA - Australian doctors warn that easing COVID-19 restrictions too quickly in Sydney, New South Wales could put pressure on the health system and risk lives, as the city prepares for an easing of restrictions next week after more than 100 days of lockdown.

The stay-at-home order will be lifted on Monday after the state of New South Wales this week achieved its target of 70 percent full vaccination for its adult population.

While the easing of travel restrictions for Sydneysiders outside their local government areas had previously been limited, authorities on Thursday also decided to increase the limits allowed for gatherings at home, weddings, and funerals. The decision angered the Australian Medical Association (AMA).

"New South Wales must not be reckless at this critical time", AMA President Omar Khorshid said in a statement, adding that "too soon or too early" could result in avoidable deaths and the re-imposition of the lockdown, citing Reuters, October 8.

Meanwhile, New South Wales State Prime Minister, Dominic Perrottet, defended his decision to propose easing some restrictions amid a steady decline in infections, saying the pandemic was also an economic crisis.

Officials have hasty plans to reduce gathering limits as full inoculations reach 70 percent, 80 percent, and 90 percent of adults. While moving around the city will be allowed from Monday, restrictions on traveling to regional areas remain.

Stuart Knox, an owner of Fix Wine, a downtown restaurant and bar, said it was great fun to reopen despite difficult preparations.

"We're still blind, we don't know as a CBD restaurant how many people are coming back and it's all unclear what we're going to face", he said.

He added that he was still unsure how to check the customer's vaccination status as required, as the promised smartphone app was not yet operational.

Meanwhile, daily infections in New South Wales rose on Friday to 646 cases, the majority in Sydney, up from 587 on Thursday, with 11 new deaths registered.

Previously, infection rates had steadily fallen over the past seven years, as the number of people over the age of 16 who had received the first dose of the vaccine approached 90 percent.

Chief State Health Officer Kerry Chant said genomic sequencing had found the new Delta variant in eight new cases and more tests would be conducted to trace its source.

"There is no indication that this new strain shows any differences regarding transmission, vaccine effectiveness or severity", he said.

Separately, the State of Victoria recorded a record 1,838 new cases on Friday, the highest number of any state in the country since the pandemic began, exceeding the previous high of 1,763 sets three days earlier. There were five new deaths.

Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews was fined A$400 on Friday for violating the state's mask-wearing order after media photographed him walking without a mask from his car to two media conferences this week.

"Even though this was an oversight, it was an important one. Everyone has to follow the rules and I'm sorry it happened", the Australian newspaper quoted Andrews as saying.

To note, Australia is battling the third wave of infections triggered by the Delta variant. In addition to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra have also imposed lockdowns, forcing the closure of thousands of businesses.

However, the country's cumulative number of COVID-19 cases is still significantly lower than many comparable countries, with around 122,500 cases and 1,405 deaths.