Happy new year! It’s Donna Lu here, bringing you the first news blog of the year. Hope you are feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning, or enjoying the celebrations elsewhere in the world.
Police said they were “generally pleased” with revellers’ behaviour on New Year’s Eve. NSW Police arrested 128 people state-wide, including 10 in Sydney’s CBD, while 45 move-on directions were issued. Assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell thanked “members of the community who made their plans Covid-safe and celebrated the beginning of 2022 responsibly, in what we hope is a better year for everyone.”
New year, same pandemic, unfortunately: New South Wales hospitals are resorting to flying nurses in from overseas, with staff being begged to take extra shifts. The state recorded 21,151 new Covid cases and six deaths yesterday, with a leaked memo from major hospital warned it “can’t seem to keep up with the exposures and positive staff”.
Within a fortnight or so, Australia has gone from having one of the lowest rates of new Covid cases in the world to being in the top 20 of countries with a population over 500,000. If NSW were a country, it would be sitting in the top 10. It is important, however, to note that countries with better testing systems are inherently likely to produce higher figures.
From today, interstate travellers to Queensland will now be allowed to return a negative rapid antigen test instead of a PCR test before travel. Queensland recorded 3,118 new cases yesterday, with criticisms the new requirements are “pointless” in states with large outbreaks.
Speaking of testing, Victorian and NSW governments are scrambling to organise the distribution of rapid antigen tests to vulnerable people amid a national shortage.