NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian anticipates more than 90 per cent of her state’s adult population will be completely vaccinated by December.
And by that time, life will return to almost completely normal in NSW for both the COVID-19 vaccinated and unvaccinated as part of the government’s roadmap to ending restrictions.
However the unvaccinated will have almost no freedoms until December – while the fully jabbed will be busy living near-normal lives.
NSW reported 787 new local cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday as the government revealed its plan for 80 per cent double-dose vaccination coverage and beyond.
These plans build upon the freedoms to be restored for fully vaccinated residents at 70 per cent coverage, including small indoor gatherings and access to hospitality venues and hairdressers.
Those freedoms will almost certainly be triggered on October 11.
At 80 per cent coverage, expected around October 25, travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW will again be permitted.
Gathering caps will increase to 10 fully vaccinated visitors in homes, 20 people outdoors, a maximum of 200 people for COVID-safe events and up to 500 people at ticketed and seated events.
Entertainment venues such as cinemas and theatres can operate at 75 per cent capacity, libraries and museums can reopen and community sport will resume. Nightclubs will remain closed.
Caps will lift for retail stores, personal services such as hairdressers and hospitality venues, but group bookings are limited to 20 people.
Gathering limits will also lift for weddings, funerals and religious services – the latter of which will also open to the unvaccinated.
Masks will remain mandatory indoors and the easing of all restrictions is predicated on the “four square metre” rule indoors.
A plan for aged care settings is yet to be completed.
However, unvaccinated people will from December 1 be able to reintegrate with society when the “four square metre” social distancing rule reverts to two square metres.
All face-to-face schooling will return in NSW, caps on vaccinated international arrivals to Sydney Airport will likely be removed and masks will only be mandatory on public transport or airplanes.
QR code check-ins may also be ditched but this is not yet confirmed.
This date will thus usher in the beginning of the “COVID-normal” era and the near-certain end of statewide or region-wide lockdowns.
But Premier Gladys Berejiklian begged residents to stay disciplined until October 11 to keep virus transmission and hospitalisations low.
“I don’t want to be the party pooper but let’s not think about this as a Freedom Day, let’s think about this as a staged reopening to getting back to normal,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“But there is no doubt that for those of us who are fully vaccinated, 70 per cent double-dose life will feel so much better.
“Fingers crossed, by the time of that third stage of reopening on December 1, we anticipate we will have 92 per cent or 93 per cent of our adult population completely vaccinated.”
Having dangled the possibility of international travel on Sunday, Ms Berejiklian on Monday said she hoped NSW and Victoria could present a “unity ticket” on reopening borders soon.
However the premier admitted this would be reliant on airlines resuming flights to Sydney Airport post-restrictions.
