Reuters reported that ''Australian officials on Sunday said there was no need to clamp down on Christmas festivities even as new COVID-19 infections climbed in Sydney, with the country's high vaccination rate helping keep people out of hospital.''

''Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was confident Australia would not need to follow the Netherlands, which has reimposed a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to curb the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.''

Key notes

• New South Wales cases hit record 2,566.
• Total Australia new cases at 3,958.
• States say no new lockdowns needed.

AUD/USD is otherwise back on the offer as per Friday's closing price:

• AUD/USD is on the defensive meeting weekly resistance