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 The country reported 11,264 new cases of the coronavirus in the
previous day, according to a Reuters calculation of state figures,
once again surpassing its peak of a day earlier, as it grapples with
a planned reopening while the new variant rages.
There were five COVID-19 deaths reported, taking the total
fatalities to just over 2,200 since the start of the pandemic.
Authorities did not specify whether any of the new deaths were
related to the Omicron variant.
The Omicron variant, which medical experts say is more transmissible
but less virulent than previous strains, began to spread in
Australia just as the country got underway with plans to reopen for
good after nearly two years of stop-start lockdowns.
With the resumption of rising case numbers - despite a vaccination
rate of more than 90% for Australians aged over 16 - the country's
state leaders have brought back some containment measures like
mandatory mask-wearing and QR code check-ins at public venues.
The rising case numbers have also led to mandatory self-isolation
for thousands of workers in the hospitality, entertainment and
airline sectors - the sectors worst hit by lockdowns - resulting in
cancelled theatre shows, closed restaurants and postponed flights.
The outbreak has also fuelled a resumption of fractious domestic
politics which defined much of the pandemic as some states resist
calls to remove internal border controls.
New South Wales (NSW), home to Sydney and a third of Australia's 25
million population, called on neighbouring Queensland to shift from
mandatory clinical testing at the point of origin to on-the-spot
rapid antigen testing for people travelling there.
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 NSW Health Minister Brad
Hazzard said a quarter of clinical tests in his
state were "tourism tests" for asymptomatic
people, bringing huge pressure of the health
system, long testing queues and wait times of
several days for results.
In one case, a Sydney testing clinic sent
incorrect negative test results to 400 COVID-positive
people, then prematurely sent 950 people
negative results when 486 were actually
positive. The bungle was the result of "human
error, and when people are under pressure, human
errors are more frequent", said Hazzard.
He called on Queensland to scrap mandatory clinical tests
immediately, rather than after Jan. 1 as planned, but the Queensland
authorities said the policy was working.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath instead said the state would
remove another testing rule for interstate arrivals: people arriving
in the state would no longer have to take a virus test five days
after arriving.
Australia's international border remains effectively closed, but
Australian nationals may return without mandatory hotel quarantine
and the country has said it would allow certain skilled workers and
foreign students in.
(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Michael Perry and Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
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