Australia rules out lockdowns despite Omicron surge

FILE PHOTO: People walk through a street market in the city centre, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination rates continue to rise, in Sydney, Australia, November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia must move past "the heavy hand of government" and authorities must stop shutting down people's lives with COVID-19 lockdowns, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, as daily infections in the country shot up to a new pandemic high.

COVID-19 cases have been breaking records over the last several days, the surge fuelled by the more transmissible Omicron variant, but Morrison insisted that limiting the spread of the virus comes down to personal responsibility.