Coronavirus Australia: NSW on track to hit ‘Freedom Day’ by October 11 despite recording 1,063 cases

Freedom Day in NSW is set to be fast-tracked, despite the state recording 1063 new coronavirus cases and six deaths.

Health officials have welcomed declining cases in Sydney’s Covid-19-ravaged west and and south-west, where new daily infections have almost halved in the last fortnight.

NSW is days away from unlocking the new freedoms after a surge in vaccine take-up has brought forward the estimated 70 per cent milestone date to October 7.

More than 55.5 per cent of over-16s are now fully vaccinated while 28 per cent of ages 12-15 have received at least one dose.

Health minister Brad Hazzard paid to communities in Covid-riddled hotspots, where cases have plummeted in recent days.

Western Sydney recorded 220 daily infections on Thursday, compared to 444 cases on September 11.

South-west Sydney had 294 cases, well down from the 490 recorded 12 days earlier.

”To the people of south-west Sydney and western Sydney who are doing a great job getting vaccinated and complying with the stay at home rules and you are making a difference to us all,’ Mr Hazzard said

Sydneysiders are a step closer to lockdown despite the state recording 1063 cases

The six fatalities take the state’s death toll from the current outbreak to 266. 

Four of them weren’t vaccinated.

Of the 1,244 cases in hospital, 233 are in intensive care. 

The rate of residents rolling up their sleeves is increasing by 0.5 per cent a day with 83.6 per cent having had at at least one jab. 

Residents in Glen Innes in the state’s northern tablelands and Orange in the central-west will be the next to be freed from lockdown at midnight Thursday.

Residents in Grafton in the NSW northern rivers are urged to be on high alert after Covid fragments were detected in wastewater samples.

Mr Hazzard confirmed NSW residents can look forward to ‘cutting loose’ by Christmas with more freedoms for those vaccinated in the coming weeks.

NSW is on track to hit its 70 per cent double jab target in the first week of October, even before a new vaccine check-in app is ready to roll out.

Under the state’s reopening roadmap, the relaxed restrictions for everyone double-jabbed will then kick in the following Monday on October 11. 

But government officials are warning that the technology to power a new combined vaccine status and check-in app, protected by a digital hologram, may not be ready.

Under the reopening roadmap – only for the double-dose unvaccinated – pubs and restaurants will be able to offer restricted dining and drinking, with people able to stand outside and drink. 

Retail stores will re-open with limited customer numbers, and likewise hairdressers and nail salons can have up to five customers, depending on the size of the shop.

Gyms will reopen with classes for up to 20 people and one gym-goer per 4sqm, and sporting facilities including swimming pools will be given the green light.

Five double-jabbed adults will be able to meet in the same home, and up to 20 outdoors. Weddings and funerals will be allowed with up to 50 guests. Dancing will be allowed, but eating and drinking must be seated.

The hospitality industry want to see the new public health orders so they can plan how they will allow diners and drinker back into their businesses. (Pictures, women in a Sydney bar earlier this year)

Crowds of up to 5,000 will be allowed back into stadiums and racecourses, and 500 at other seated and ticketed outdoor events. Cinemas and theatres will be allowed up to 75 per cent capacity.

Travel throughout NSW will also be allowed and campsites re-opened. Carpooling will be allowed again but employees will keep working from home if they can. 

Masks will remain mandatory for adults indoors but only hospitality staff will have to wear them outdoors.

But the hospitality industry is still concerned about the delay on the check-in vaccination status app. 

There are concerns it may lead to confrontations for pubs, restaurants and event staff who will need to manually check vaccine certificates – and turn away anyone unvaccinated.

NSW had hoped to rework their current Services NSW check-in app to also tap into vaccination status so pub-goers, diners and stadium crowds can all move freely once double-jabbed.

But the app technology has been delayed by the need to access federal government databases for vaccination status – and may not now be ready in time for the new accelerated freedom schedule.

NSW had hoped to rework their current Services NSW check-in app to also tap into vaccination status, as seen here with NSW digital minister Victor Dominello, so pub-goers, diners and stadium crowds can all move freely once double-jabbed

NSW digital minister Victor Dominello has admitted the updated supercharged check in app may not make the new deadline – but said it won’t stop Freedom Day. (Pictured, Sydney picnickers enjoying the latest easing of restrictions last weekend)

The initial timeline saw NSW coming out of the lockdown deep freeze on October 25, before it was later brought forward to October 18 and now October 11. 

NSW digital minister Victor Dominello has admitted the updated supercharged check in app may not make the new deadline – but said it won’t stop Freedom Day.

‘We’re moving heaven and earth to get that ready,’ he said on Wednesday. ‘The reality is right now there are other options for showing your vaccination status.

‘This is just to make it easier.’

The NSW government are now drawing up the new public health orders that will kick in once the freedom date is confirmed so businesses can plan how to implement them.

The initial timeline saw NSW coming out of the lockdown deep freeze on October 25, before it was later brought forward to October 18 and now October 11. (Pictured, Sydney picnickers last weekend)

‘The hospitality industry needs the public health orders to be released as a matter of urgency,’ Wes Lambert, chief executive of Restaurant and Catering Australia told The Australian.

 ‘Businesses [need to] understand the mechanisms and the requirements around the QR code and the sighting of vaccination certificates.’ 

NSW has now hit 55.5 per cent double-dose vaccination, with 83.6 per cent having had their first dose. Nationally, 48.5 per cent are double jabbed and 73.4 on their first.

Roadmap to freedom: All the changes for fully vaccinated NSW residents after hitting 70% jab target

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s freedom plan will kick off after the state hits 70 per cent of adults double dosed 

Gatherings in the home and public spaces

· Up to five visitors will be allowed in a home where all adults are vaccinated (not including children 12 and under).

· Up to 20 people can gather in outdoor settings.

Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms

· Hospitality venues can reopen subject to one person per 4sqm inside and one person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.

· Retail stores can reopen under the one person per 4sqm rule (unvaccinated people will continue to only be able to access critical retail).

· Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons can open with one person per 4sqm, capped at five clients per premises.

· Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the one person per 4sqm rule and can offer classes for up to 20 people.

· Sporting facilities including swimming pools can reopen.

Stadiums, theatres and major outdoor recreation facilities

· Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can reopen with one person per 4sqm, capped at 5,000 people.

· Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.

· Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per 4sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity.

Weddings, funerals and places of worship

· Up to 50 guests can attend weddings, with dancing permitted and eating and drinking only while seated.

· Up to 50 guests can attend funerals, with eating and drinking while seated.

· Churches and places of worship to open subject to one person per 4sqm rule, with no singing.

Travel

· Domestic travel, including trips to regional NSW, will be permitted.

· Caravan parks and camping grounds can open.

· Carpooling will be permitted.

Non-vaccinated young people aged under 16 will be able to access all outdoor settings but will only be able to visit indoor venues with members of their household.

Employers must continue to allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so.

There will be revised guidance on isolation for close and casual contacts who are fully vaccinated, with details to be provided closer to the reopening date.

Masks

· Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor public venues, including public transport, front-of-house hospitality, retail and business premises, on planes and at airports.

· Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask when outdoors.

· Children aged under 12 will not need to wear a mask indoors.  

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