Premier Dominic Perrottet has reinstated some health restrictions while also seemingly sticking to the ‘personal responsibility' model by “strongly recommending” other health measures, rather than issuing mandates, even as daily cases reached a new record high of 38,625 on December 7.
Recent testing advice from the federal government has put greater emphasis on the use of Rapid Antigen Tests to ease mounting pressure on the overloaded PCR testing infrastructure, but until now, self-diagnosed positive cases have not been tracked like their laboratory-diagnosed counterparts. From the week beginning January 10, positive RAT tests will need to be registered with NSW Health, although the interface to do this is not yet online. The state’s chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said that the reason for tracking RATs wasn’t merely for the data, but to also to ensure that all positive cases were accessing the treatment and support they needed.
As was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, based on a leak from the NSW government, dancing and singing in public hospitality venues, like nightclubs, bars and pubs, will be prohibited until January 27. However, venues such as nightclubs were not specifically instructed to close. The dancing and singing ban will not apply to theatre performances, weddings or fitness classes.
Chant said that dancing was a particularly risky activity for the demographics that are so far presenting a large number of cases: “Almost 50 per cent of the cases are aged between 20 and 39 years. 29 per cent between 20 and 29, and 30 and 39 account for 19 per cent of the cases. The transmission is happening in a variety of settings. Obviously in those household and social gatherings that people are having, and also in places like pubs, clubs, nightclubs, and the concern around the behaviour of dancing and singing – I suppose, just to explain to people why we’re picking on that as a transmission mechanism, is the fact that when people are in those environments and dancing, you’re actually encountering and bringing together people from very different social networks.”
Perrottet also said that major events would go ahead as planned for the most part, but that NSW Health would work with “high-risk venues” to adapt their Covid-safe protocols to allow them to host events safely.
However, contrary to that earlier reporting, seated service and a ban on drinking while standing up in hospitality venues was not formally mandated, but described by Perrottet as a “recommendation”. The premier also encouraged people holding private gatherings at home to take their plans outside. Chant also urged people to limit their social interactions in general.
One new mandate that was not previously leaked is that professions that are required to be inoculated will now only be considered fully vaccinated once they have had their booster dose. This applies to frontline workers, including aged care workers, health and disability workers and teachers.
Elective surgeries that are classed as category 3 – non-urgent within the next 12 months – will be postponed until January 2023, to ease pressure on hospital staff. Modelling showing the potential “worst-case scenario” that could unfold in the coming weeks suggests as many as 6000 people could be admitted to hospital in NSW by the end of the month.
When challenged by journalists, Perrottet remained defiant about his choice to lift almost all health precautions on December 15 just as the Omicron surge was beginning to climb, saying “We will not be going back into lockdown.” He added that the state’s position had always been to adjust settings as circumstances changed. QR check-in codes and mask mandates were reintroduced less than ten days after being lifted, on December 24.