# COVID-testing rules spark Christmas travel chaos in Australia as cases hit records Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-12-23 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: Australia's COVID-19 Testing Centres Overwhelmed Amid Meta Description: Australia's testing facilities overwhelmed as cases surge. Prime Minister urges easing of testing requirements for booster shots rollout. Daily cases URL: https://financedigest.com/covid-testing-rules-spark-christmas-travel-chaos-in-australia-as-cases-hit-recordshtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2021-12-23t015354z1lynxmpehbm01ortroptp4health-coronavirus-australia-1-1736836540468-compressed.jpg) By Renju Jose SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s COVID-19 testing facilities were severely stretched on Thursday amid a record surge in cases and as tens of thousands of domestic travellers thronged the centres to get test results necessary to travel interstate for Christmas. Most states require travellers to have a negative test result 72 hours before departure in order to be allowed entry, even as Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged them to ease the testing requirement, which he said was redirecting resources that could be used to ramp up the rollout of the booster shots. More than 8,200 new [cases were reported in Australia](https://www.financedigest.com/australia-drops-landmark-criminal-cartel-case-against-citi-deutsche.html "Australia drops landmark criminal cartel case against Citi, Deutsche") on Thursday, the biggest daily rise in the pandemic, eclipsing the previous high of some 5,600 a day earlier. The bulk of cases are in its most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria. Despite the spike, people in hospitals remains far lower than during the Delta wave as [active coronavirus cases](https://www.financedigest.com/making-the-case-for-using-team-building-activities.html "Making the case for using team building activities") in the country neared 44,000. Around 800 [COVID-19 patients are in hospitals](https://www.financedigest.com/scotland-reports-fewer-covid-19-hospitalizations-with-omicron.html "Scotland reports fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations with Omicron") across the country as of Dec. 20 but only 37 of those are Omicron cases, the [health department](https://www.financedigest.com/baswares-e-invoicing-to-eliminate-inefficiencies-in-health-department.html "Basware’s e-invoicing to eliminate inefficiencies in Health Department") said in an emailed response. Only one case is in intensive care and no [deaths have been reported](https://www.financedigest.com/strong-nighttime-earthquake-jolts-sleeping-mexicans-at-least-one-death-reported.html "Strong nighttime earthquake jolts sleeping Mexicans, at least one death reported"). Morrison had been asking people to focus more on the number of people in hospitals than the total infections and resisted [calls for a national mandatory rule](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-businesses-call-for-looser-immigration-rules-to-boost-growth.html "UK businesses call for looser immigration rules to boost growth") to wear masks indoors. But Victorian state authorities said they would make [masks mandatory](https://www.financedigest.com/mcdonalds-makes-masks-mandatory-for-all-customers-staff.html "McDonald’s makes masks mandatory for all customers, staff") indoors from Thursday night, while Queensland state also has mandatory mask rules, with health officials saying the spread of the virus has become “inevitable and necessary. “In order for us to go from the pandemic phase to an endemic phase, the virus has to be widespread. We all have to have immunity,” Queensland [Chief Health Officer](https://www.financedigest.com/host-analytics-appoints-chris-labruna-as-chief-revenue-officer.html "Host Analytics Appoints Chris LaBruna as Chief Revenue Officer") John Gerrard told reporters. Even amid the Omicron wave, Australia’s tally of 273,000 infections and 2,173 deaths is far lower than many countries. (Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Michael Perry) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---