Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced “major changes” to NSW’s roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdowns, as the state recorded 587 new locally-acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.
Fully vaccinated adults are due to get a swathe of new freedoms from Monday — including do things like eat at restaurants and go to the gym, which have been off limits in some areas for more than 100 days.
While the settings around hospitality and retail remain unchanged, Mr Perrottet announced several major departures from the previous blueprint, including:
- Increasing the number of adults allowed to gather in homes from five to 10
- Increasing the number of adults allowed to gather in public spaces from 20 to 30
- Increasing the cap of people at weddings and funerals from 50 to 100
- Reopening indoor pools
A ban on singing at religious services will also be tweaked, with performers — including choirs of up to 10 people — permitted.
Restrictions for fully inoculated people will be eased again the Monday after NSW reaches 80 per cent double-dose coverage.
The second wave of relaxations are due to come into effect from October 25, and Mr Perrottet also announced changes to those, including:
- Making face masks in office buildings optional
- Increasing the number of adults allowed to gather in homes to 20
- Increasing the number of adults allowed to gather in public spaces to 50
- Allowing 3,000 people to be able to attend ticketed outdoors events
The return of students to on-site learning in NSW’s lockdown areas will be brought forward.
While kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 students will still return to face-to-face learning from October 18, all other students will be back on campus from October 25.
“It’s a major relief for parents and their sanity and I think this is an important decision today and I want to thank all the teachers who are are there getting vaccinated to ensure that we can open our schools as safely as possible,” Mr Perrottet said.
The announcement followed NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealing the state recorded 587 locally-acquired COVID-19 cases.
No deaths were announced, but the official NSW Health update is scheduled for 11:00am.
Mr Perrottet said the loosened restrictions his government will be introducing from the beginning of next week were “sensible and measured”.
He said the departure his predecessor Gladys Berejiklian’s roadmap wasn’t an indication he was unhappy with them.
“No, I worked very closely on the preparation of [that] roadmap with Minister [Stuart] Ayres and the former Deputy Premier John Barilaro,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Any government has different views … and I think based on where we are today in terms of where the case numbers are, the fact the vaccination rate was at 70 per cent — it gave me an opportunity to reflect on it.”
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said workers in regional areas who have received one vaccination dose will be permitted to return to their workplace from October 11 and will be given a grace period until November 1 to receive their second dose.
Regional areas are those outside Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast.
Yesterday, NSW became the first Australian state to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of its population aged 16 and above against COVID-19.
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