Employers in Australia push back on COVID restrictions

Despite a surge in COVID cases due to the Omicron variant, businesses in Australia are urging state governments to proceed with the easing of work restrictions. 

The main culprit behind the rise in cases has more to do with governments' crisis response strategy, which is purportedly hurting business recovery, one group of employers said. 

"The biggest danger to improving business conditions is not Omicron but the response to it," said Innes Willox, CEO of AI Group, as quoted by The Guardian.

Some states have supposedly implemented "overly onerous and ever-changing conditions on business, their employees and customers".

"For our recovery to maintain its momentum, business needs certainty and continuity from the states who can properly balance risks and not needlessly promote fear."

Disruptions caused by the spread of the Omicron variant were likely due to the "overreaction" of some public leaders, according to Andrew McKellar, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"The main thing will be to avoid the imposition of very severe restrictions and lockdowns," McKellar said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government is reportedly considering relaxing isolation rules for aged-care workers who come in contact with COVID-positive patients. The new rules aim to ease the pressure on workers who must immediately return to serving in care facilities that are overwhelmed by the growing number of infections.

Medical experts in Australia believe the symptoms caused by the Omicron variant may be 75% less severe than those of the Delta variant, Sky News Australia reported.