Aussie states scrap most COVID-19 restrictions
Feb 18, 2022
Sydney [Australia], February 18 (ANI/Xinhua): The COVID-19 restrictions across Australia's two most populous states are eased on Friday as cases continue to drop.
In Victoria, from 6:00 pm (local time) Friday, density limits at hospitality and entertainment venues will be removed, dance floors can reopen and QR code check-ins will no longer be required in retail settings, schools and many workplaces.
In New South Wales (NSW), from 12:01 am (local time) Friday, singing and dancing are back across most venues; the density limits are scrapped, and QR check-ins are now only required for nightclubs and music festivals with more than 1,000 attenders.
Non-urgent elective surgery will also return across all NSW public hospitals next week.
Premiers from both states have also flagged that the recommendation to work from home will be lifted, with masks mandates to be removed in a week's time.
In NSW, 9,243 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on Friday, with 1,381 hospitalizations and 92 people in intensive care.
Victoria recorded 6,935 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, a significant drop from 8,501 new cases on Thursday. The hospitalization has grown by 50 to 451, but compared to the numbers of last week, hospitalizations remained below 500.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the state's Omicron wave had passed its peak, allowing residents to begin moving "back to normal."
"We have to wait and see if the numbers continue to fall, in terms of the number of people in hospital, we want the trend to be maintained," he said. (ANI/Xinhua)
