Australia Covid-19: Scott Morrison rules out new lockdowns despite rising cases and Omicron fears

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On Tuesday, the country’s most populous state reported its highest new daily caseload of the pandemic, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called an emergency National Cabinet meeting to discuss the rising infections.

But he said one key message he’ll be telling state premiers is a return to lockdowns, tight social restrictions and fines for violating them is not the answer.

“We have got to get past the heavy hand of government and we’ve got to treat Australians as adults,” Morrison said at a news conference in Queensland Tuesday. “We have to move from a culture of mandates to a culture of responsibility. That’s how we live with the virus into the future.”

His comments come as New South Wales reported 3,057 cases in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. local time Monday — a record for daily infections in the country. A total of 284 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 in the state, with 39 patients in intensive care. Long queues formed outside testing centers as thousands of people complied with orders to take a test ahead of the holiday.

Meanwhile, Queensland state health authorities warned Tuesday they are seeing a doubling in cases every two days — a growing number of which are the Omicron variant — but said they will move forward with easing quarantine restrictions.

The rise in infections in Australia comes as countries across much of the Asia-Pacific region are delaying their reopening plans, with some reimposing restrictions or tightening border controls over Omicron concerns.

The World Health Organization said on Monday that Omicron is spreading “significantly faster” than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. But scientists still don’t know for sure if the variant causes more severe disease or to what extent existing vaccines are less effective against it.