Australian states reinstate COVID-19 curbs as Omicron cases jump

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker prepares to administer a test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on a member of the public at a pop-up testing centre in Sydney, Australia, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia reintroduced COVID-19 curbs such as mandated mask wearing indoors, capacity limits and QR code check-ins to cover most of the population on Thursday as daily infections hit a fresh record, fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

The changes for 17 million people two days before Christmas mark a reversal of the country's plans for a permanent reopening after nearly two years of stop-start lockdowns as the new variant rages through the community in spite of double-vaccination rates of more than 90%.