Removing mandates on restrictions when infections are surging is 'bizarre', say experts who are calling for the return of COVID-safe rules like mask wearing and QR check-ins before it's too late.
The NSW government is being urged to take a cautious approach to the rise of COVID-19 cases, and reintroduce restrictions.The head of the AMA calls that "bizarre timing"The call from Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid came after the state set a national record on Saturday, with 2,482 locally acquired infections.A raft of restrictions, including those around masks, QR check-ins and proof of vaccination, were relaxed this week.
He said mandatory measures were urgently needed to protect the healthcare system and workers who had been "stepping up for an awfully long time now".University of Queensland infectious disease physician, associate professor Paul Griffin, also supports bringing back some restrictions. For weeks, Premier Dominic Perrottet has been shifting the focus from case numbers to the rate of hospitalisations.Dr Khorshid warned that while those numbers were low, they would change."It's too late once we actually see a sharp rise in hospitalisations.
The NSW government said it was monitoring case numbers and hospitalisations closely in case it needed to reintroduce restrictions, including lockdowns.
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