Why Scott Morrison WON’T be locking down Australia as Covid-19 infections continue to soar

Scott Morrison has dismissed calls for a nationwide lockdown amid surging Covid cases as he points to Australia’s high vaccination rates and steady hospitalisations – instead urging citizens to ‘ride the wave’.  

The prime minister vehemently denied citizens would be subjected to stay-at-home orders ever again when he declared ‘the days of lockdown are over’ on Monday. 

The encouraging message came as infections continue to explode across the country with Australia detecting a record 64,774 cases on Wednesday. 

However, Mr Morrison has called for calm in the face of heavy caseloads as new variants continue to evolve attitudes and force changes towards Covid rules. 

‘We have no choice but to ride the wave. What’s the alternative? What we must do is press on,’ the prime minister said. 

‘Australia, with its high vaccination rates, is in an even stronger position than the United Kingdom is. We are in the top 10 most vaccinated OECD countries in the world. So we are in a good position to push through or ride the wave.

‘That’s why we just have to keep carefully managing these ­issues as they present.’

Following an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Morrison announced only the sick and close contacts of confirmed cases need a PCR test.

The move is hoped to alleviate pressure on testing facilities around the country struggling to keep up with demand as states record numbers of new infections. 

The suite of changes to the country’s testing system saw the government announce they would subsidise rapid antigen tests for disadvantaged Australians. 

Vulnerable groups including those on welfare, pensions and concession cards can receive 10 RATs over a three-month period – numbered to be 6.6million Australians. 

The deal is predicted to cost the federal government $850million and comes after escalating calls for free tests loudened amid crippling nationwide shortages. 

In another major change, Mr Morrison confirmed citizens will no longer need to seek a PCR test if they test positive on a rapid antigen test, and should count themselves as Covid positive. 

‘If you have gone along, if you are a close contact and had a rapid antigen test and it is positive, you do not need to get a PCR test to confirm that. That will take pressure off PCR testing lines,’ Mr Morrison said on Wednesday afternoon. 

The changes come in stark contrast to previous warnings from health officials who urged people with even minor symptoms to get tested during the Delta outbreak.

The majority of states have adopted the prime minister’s relaxed approach to the virus, despite Western Australian where citizens remain crippled by strict rules. 

Premier Mark McGowan has steadfastly refused to open WA to areas considered Covid hotspots and has introduced a hard border with every Australian state.  

Meanwhile, Australia’s Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly additionally revealed the number of hospitalisations remained steady amid rising case numbers.  

Dr Kelly said the number of people infected with the Omicron variant that required hospital care was at a third of what they were under previous strains.  

He pointed to data that revealed why cases had exploded from 30,000 to 218,000, hospitalisations had only risen from 824 to 2,158. 

The prime minister echoed these sentiments when he said Omicron is ’75 per cent less severe’ than Delta, while urging citizens to practice Covid-safe behaviours. 

‘Everything that you used to do to control Delta is not how you manage Omicron. It has the advantage of being less severe but has the disadvantage of having very high levels of transmission, which gives you a big volume problem,’ Mr Morrison said. 

Dr Kelly warned the country could see 100,000 cases by the end of the week given the international case rate was doubling every two to three days.

However, hospitalisation and ICU numbers remain steady amid skyrocketing infections, with positive signs the outbreak could soon be reaching its peak. 

Dr Kelly was tentative to put a timeframe on the peak but said NSW would be the first to experience a substantial drop in cases, while states like WA would peak later.

It comes as infectious Disease Expert Professor Peter Collignon predicted the worst point of the Omicron outbreak could be just two weeks away. 

Prof. Collignon said it would only take from five to ten days for case numbers to plummet after the wave has peaked, triggered by gatherings over Christmas. 

‘I think it will go down. That takes 5-10 days. I would be optimistic it will come down,’ he said during an appearance on Sunrise on Thursday morning. 

The professor added the ‘real issue’ lay with unvaccinated Australians who were disproportionately in hospital and entering intensive care units with the virus.

‘The figures I have seen from ICU from a week or so ago, it is mainly Delta putting people into hospital and people who are unvaccinated,’ he said. 

On Monday, the prime minister hit back at suggestions of a circuit-breaker lockdown to put a pause on multiplying infections. 

Mr Morrison told the Today Show: ‘No. Because it is not about numbers. ‘I keep making this point. This is a different type of variant which requires an evolution of our response.

‘The days of lockdown are gone. We’re going forward. We’re not going back. That’s not how you manage this virus.

‘There will be high case numbers but the severity is a lot less so you focus on your hospital system.

‘If you are in hospital at the moment, the primary reason for that is you weren’t vaccinated. The second reason is you’ve got Delta, not Omicron.’

NSW recorded 34,994 new cases on Thursday, with 1,609 in hospital while Victoria hit 21,997 infections with 631 people currently receiving care. 

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Source