Bars and restaurants will be out of bounds for unvaccinated residents in NSW

Bars and restaurants will be off limits for unvaccinated residents in NSW as soon as the state reaches a double dose rate of 70 per cent.

It is an idea set forward as part of a new proposal under consideration by the state government, and talks with leading industry group figures are already under way, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

There is also a possibility all hospitality staff and patrons will need proof they have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine before entering hospitality establishments.

Industry sources have confirmed the proposal would include merging vaccination certificates and QR code check-ins.

This would be run through the Service NSW app or a yet to be released federal government app. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday confirmed planning talks have commenced with those in the hospitality sector.

‘It’s no secret we have been on that journey,’ she said. 

‘It has been a hard time, it’s been a very confronting time… we have been used to having zero or a small number of cases for a long time, and now we’re having to confront what living with Covid is like.

‘Get fully vaccinated, then you will have options to live a freer life.’

If vaccination numbers continue at an encouraging rate, some lockdown laws could be lifted in NSW by mid-October.

The state government is also considering opening up hairdressing salons as part of a trial – provided clients and workers can both prove they have had at least one vaccination jab. 

Ms Berejiklian announced a long-awaited plan to begin returning NSW students to school on Friday.

Kindergarten and year one children will return on October 25, years two, six and 11 go back from November 1, and remaining year groups a week later.

There is also a possibility all hospitality staff and patrons will need proof they have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine before entering establishments (pictured, three women eating pizza in Sydney’s east pre-lockdown)

NSW is currently the vaccination rollout yardstick across the nation, with 64 per cent of residents having received one dose (pictured, a woman with groceries in Sydney’s east)

HSC exams for year 12 students will be pushed back to November 9, and all people working on school campuses must be vaccinated by November 8.  

NSW is currently the vaccination rollout yardstick across the nation, with 64 per cent of residents having received one dose compared to the nation’s lowest rate of 48 per cent in Western Australia. 

On Saturday, NSW reported 1035 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 and two more deaths. 

‘It’s about opening safely. It’s about opening smartly. It’s about opening in a way that is phased. It all doesn’t happen on one day,’ Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday. 

What are the four phases of opening up? 

A. Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14)

Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; early, stringent and short lockdowns if outbreaks occur; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in South Australia; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet   

B. Post vaccination phase (when 70 per cent are jabbed, expected late this year)

Lockdowns less likely but possible; vaccinated people face reduced restrictions; caps for unvaccinated arrivals increased; a larger cap for vaccinated arrivals with ‘reduced quarantine requirements’; capped entry for students and economic visa holders  

C. Consolidation phase (when 80 per cent are jabbed, time not announced)

Only ‘highly targeted’ lockdowns; lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out 

D. Final phase (percentage or time not announced)

Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival