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Sydney (AFP) – Australia will continue to ease restrictions before Christmas despite a further rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country’s most populous state, authorities said on Tuesday.
The state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, recorded more than 800 new cases on Tuesday since October 2, due in particular to the gatherings organized as part of the end-of-year celebrations.
The authorities have said that these new contaminations will not prevent the lifting, from Wednesday, of certain measures such as the wearing of masks in public or the ban for unvaccinated people from entering restaurants, bars and restaurants. take part in big events.
“We have decided (…) to live with this virus,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, referring to the high rate of vaccination.
“This Christmas that we are about to spend is a gift the Australians have given to themselves, thanks to the way they have worked together and the measures that we have put in place,” he added.
After long pursuing a goal of zero Covid cases through strict border closures and long periods of confinement in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia continues its reopening of internal and external borders, once again welcoming skilled migrants from Wednesday. and students provided they are vaccinated.
After a slow start to the vaccination campaign, more than 93% of Australians over 16 have now received at least one dose, and 89% have received two.
Australia has detected more than 85 cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant since its emergence in the country.
Many Western countries have started reintroducing restrictions and stepping up their vaccination campaign in the face of rising infections.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he was “very concerned” that too few people received a third dose while pledging not to introduce new lockdowns.
Announcing a plan for a Moderna vaccine manufacturing plant in Melbourne, Morrison insisted Australia is “better prepared than almost any other country to face the situation and continue to live with the virus.”
Australia has recorded more than 230,000 cases of Covid-19 and 2,113 deaths for a population of 25 million.
© 2021 AFP
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