Scott Morrison The UK has said that Australia is entering Phase D of the COVID pandemic, as it pushes for an end to close contact rules.
The prime minister on Saturday labeled the need for close contacts for a week ‘unnecessary’, while also dismissing a return to old hate restrictions.
‘We believe we are in stage D now. Stage D means living with a virus like the flu,’ Mr Morrison said.
‘Airports are open again, there is an exemption on quarantine for returnees, so we are largely in Phase D.’
Scott Morrison says Australia is entering Phase D of the COVID pandemic, as he pushes for an end to close contact rules
He said Western Australia was about a month behind in its response, but most other states and territories were on the same path.
“The other big change we talked about yesterday is getting rid of the close contact rule, which makes a lot of sense,” he said.
‘It is important that we remove this close contact rule because it is starving businesses, employees hospitals.
‘That rule is becoming, we believe as leaders, redundant, so we tasked the medical expert panel to say what your immediate advice is on this.
‘We would like to say goodbye to that rule as soon as possible.’
Further advice will be given to the Australian Head of Health Protection Committee before any changes to the rules can be made.
The Prime Minister has asked him to review the changes immediately.
Mr Morrison also said it was unlikely any of the old Covid rules Australians were facing at the peak of the outbreak would ever be rolled back.
The prime minister expects the old restrictions not to be reimposed (nail technicians pictured in Sydney in June, 2020)
Mr Morrison declared a national emergency in NSW late Friday night over the flooding in parts of the state (pictured is the Prime Minister and wife Jenny meeting flood-affected locals at McGrath Hill in Sydney)
Mr Morrison also said it was unlikely any Australians from the old Covid rules at the peak of the outbreak would ever be brought back.
‘I certainly hope not. I can’t see it,’ he said.
He said there was no way to tell the severity of future forms, but the focus was on hospitalizations, not the number of cases.
‘I’ve had it (Covid), and I’ve been in isolation for a week, and I’m back on my feet, and it wasn’t that pleasant, but what I would say is this – sure That you get your booster,’ he said.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard had previously shut down the health organization’s recommendations to introduce more restrictions amid fears that Covid cases would rise to 25,000.
Changes suggested by the state health department include indoor face masks, restrictions on singing and dancing, density limits and working from home.
The suggestions were made to the health minister in an internal presentation, amid a fearful winter weather forecast for a doubling of Covid cases, a new BA.2 strain to dominate and a deadly flu season .
Mr Hazard rejected the reimposition of the restrictions, before claiming that they would be taken as a ‘last resort’, Sydney Morning Herald Reported.
“As health minister, I am not inclined at all to go back to the path that has ended all restrictions,” he said., ‘From my point of view all this will be the last resort.’
Mr. Hazard said the rising cases ‘is a major issue that the entire health team is monitoring very closely.’
The federal government is splitting a $250 million housing package with the NSW government that includes rent relief as people remain homeless
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazard had previously shut down the health organization’s recommendations to introduce more restrictions amid fears that Covid cases would rise to 25,000 a day
His biggest concern was ‘failure of about 45 percent of eligible people not having boosters’.
NSW Health revealed in its presentation that it was concerned about a ‘substantial increase’ in COVID cases between March and early May.
‘We should be planning for health system impacts about 2.5 times what we are currently experiencing,’ the slides said.
This includes plans to increase staff leave, Covid-19 hospital admissions, ICU admissions and deaths by about 2.5 times.
NSW Health said in its presentation that the department wants the state government to continue to maintain isolation compliance among COVID cases.
The measures have been dug up elsewhere in the world, including the UK.
‘For the community, recommend the resumption of indoor masks, and resume other mitigation that is in place in schools,’ the slides read.
His recommendations came in the form of state A further decline in the number of COVID-19 cases was recorded on Saturday, with 12,850 new infections and four more virus-related deaths.
Scott and Jenny Morrison were seen visiting flood-affected homes northwest of Sydney on Saturday. He had earlier said that Australia is in stage D of the Covid pandemic.
The new numbers follow 14,000 new cases on Friday and more than 16,000 new cases on Thursday.
Health officials say there are 966 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the state. Of these, 40 are in intensive care.
This comes as Mr Morrison visits people devastated by the floods in Windsor, north-west of Sydney.
Mr Morrison declared a national emergency in NSW late on Friday, triggering additional resources for the state and allowing the federal government to access stockpiled resources and remove red tape on trade and welfare aid.
But the prime minister said local people would naturally be able to respond faster in disaster areas.
“It has always been, and always will be, an important part of our natural disaster response,” Mr Morrison said while visiting the flooded Windsor area on Saturday.
Mr Morrison walks around a house ravaged by floodwaters in the north-west of Sydney
He also said that 20 mobile home units have been installed in the Lismore area, with more than 100 on the way, in an area where it is estimated that two-three homes damaged by the flood will need to be demolished or substantial repairs made. .
The federal government is splitting a $250 million housing package with the NSW government that includes rent relief as people remain homeless.
‘It’s going to go a long way,’ Mr Morrison said.
The national emergency declaration comes as aid is provided to 12 local government areas in NSW following severe floods and storms throughout March.
LGAs include Cessnock, Cumberland, Dungog Shire, Goulburn-Mulware, Lithgow, Maitland, Mid-Western Region in the Central Tablelands, Muswellbrook Shire, Quenbeyan-Palerang, Singleton Shire, Snow-Monaro and Upper Hunter Shire.