Experts have sounded the alarm at Australia steaming ahead with its plans to reopen the country ahead of the new year despite a surge in COVID-19 case numbers.
It comes as other countries around the world, like the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, are re-imposing restrictions as COVID-19 infections grow and emerging variant Omicron is on the rise.
University of South Australia's epidemiologist Adrian Esterman told SBS News there is "no rhyme or reason or logic" in each state's respective restrictions.
He placed criticism on the NSW government for scrapping public health measures as it records more than 2,500 cases in a single day, with no sign of infections dropping ahead of the Christmas period.
According to preliminary research from the University of New South Wales, the state is on track to record 25,000 cases daily by January if it does not reimpose restrictions.
"If we have 25,000 cases a day in January, the NSW health system will not be able to manage. It will be in a complete crisis. That's all there is to it. It's that simple."
Professor of epidemiology at the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute John Kaldor said Australia should be more careful with reopening while the world continues to assess the severity of Omicron.
He said the country was relatively successful in containing COVID-19 in the past, in part because of data that was available.
"The plan we’ve put in place during the delta wave [was] entirely based on assumptions on the transmissibility of Delta and the effectiveness of the vaccines that were being rolled out a very high level," he told SBS News.
"[In] a few weeks that situation changed completely ... and that requires us to rethink what we’re doing."
But without any firm information on Omicron and the current approved vaccines' effectiveness against the new variant, he said the country's national roadmap could be outdated.
"The most prudent approach would be to bring back some restrictions that reduce transmission most effectively without placing a burden or imposition on the population," Professor Kaldor said.
Professor Esterman also expects the country's COVID-19 case numbers to be several times higher than the reported figures as more people - who are asymptomatic because they are fully vaccinated - are out in public.
"Not only was all the previous modelling based on Delta, but they also assume that we have very good contact tracing and testing and quarantine, so how much faith do I put in the modelling? Absolutely, very low," Professor Esterman said.
Professor Kaldor said there was one simple restriction that could be re-introduced: wearing face masks in indoor settings.
"[Mask-wearing] will, in a very simple and well-accepted way, reduce transmission and give a better chance for the public health system to remain manageable," he said
These sentiments were echoed by Professor Esterman, who said "we can live with COVID, but we actually have to be sensible".
"Retail shops wouldn't lose a single cent asking people to wear face masks. So why on earth would you remove that? It simply makes no sense whatsoever," he said.
This advice has been endorsed by the nation’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly, urging federal, state and territory leaders to consider introducing mask mandates inside, to stop the spread of the Omicron strain of coronavirus.
Professor Kelly has written to the leaders, arguing a mask mandate should be imposed in all indoor settings, including shopping, hospitality and entertainment venues - measures to be imposed before case numbers escalate even further.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a press conference on Monday this week to discuss how to best handle the emergence of Omicron.
"The cases will of course rise with the Omicron variant. What we will continue to work through with states and territories is making sure we manage the impact on the hospital system and the primary health network," Mr Morrison said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia will get through the current COVID-19 surge "the Australian way". Source: AAP
He urged Australians to receive their booster vaccines when eligible to do so, citing the government's general public health advice. If people did this, then "we can keep our nerve, keep calm and carry on" he said.
When asked about other countries imposing harsh lockdowns ahead of Christmas due to concerns of Omicron wreaking havoc, Mr Morrison said "we will make our Australian way through this".
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet defended his stance to remove the mask mandate in most public settings, saying that people will wear them on their own accord, as it is the "responsible" thing to do.
"There will always be new variants of the virus, the pandemic is not going away, we need to live alongside the virus," Mr Perrottet said.
But Professor Esterman said the governments aren't listening to their respective chief medical officers who are recommending to curb back on some freedoms.
"Every single premier will say, 'listen to the advice of the chief medical officer'. Well, they're not. They're ignoring their chief medical officers, and it's just a crying shame."
