NSW has recorded 1,220 new Covid-19 cases and eight deaths from the virus overnight hours after it emerged millions of fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders can return to the pub from October 14.
The deaths include two residents in their 90s, one in their 80s, three in their 70s and one in their 50s and 60s.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 74 per cent of the state had now received their first Covid-19 jab, with single-dose rates as high as 81 per cent in some NSW suburbs.
Ms Berejiklian warned the minority who are still yet to receive their first vaccine dose they will be left behind come mid-October once the state starts opening up again.
‘Keep coming forward – our message is don’t be left behind,’ she said.
‘When we open up at 70% double dose, it will be only for those who are vaccinated.
‘There’s still time now to get your first dose and fit in your second dose before New South Wales starts opening up.’
Sydney residents who are fully immunised against Covid-19 from October 14 can legally visit bars and clubs across the city under new government health orders, 2GB’s Ben Fordham reported on Tuesday morning.
Ms Berejiklian has flagged mid-October – when 70 per cent of the state is on track to have received both doses – as a potential ‘Freedom Day’.
‘The public health order will remain in place for some time,’ Fordham said.
‘There are discussions about leaving it until vaccination rates are closer to 90 per cent.’
Those who are double jabbed will have to prove their full vaccination status when entering venues using the Service NSW app.
Thousands of Sydneysiders though could enjoy a drink at the pub even earlier in a new government trial set to launch in some lucky suburbs.
October 14 will be Sydney’s official ‘Freedom Day’ when they can return to the city’s bars and clubs, 2GB’s Ben Fordham has revealed
Thousands of Sydneysiders though could enjoy a drink at the pub even earlier at the start of October as part of a new trial in highly-vaccinated suburbs with low Covid-19 case numbers (pictured, a group drinking in Sydney in March 2020)
Members of the Indigenous community are seen receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Redfern, Sydney
The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney’s Upper North Shore (pictured) is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab
Residents in some suburbs will enjoy eased restrictions as soon as early October in a new initiative to test vaccination passport technology.
Sporting crowds meanwhile will return for the double-jabbed with capacity limits, as well as household gatherings with fully-vaccinated visitors only, with a cap on the number of guests.
But pubs will only be opened earlier in October for trials in postcodes where vaccination rates are high and case numbers are low, 9News reported.
The NSW government has warned residents living in Sydney’s Covid-ravaged west and southwest will miss out on the new trial.
This is despite residents in those hotspots rushing to get vaccinated, with many of the suburbs well above the national average jab rate.
Officials have argued the ‘vaccination passport’ technology needs to be tested before it can be rolled out state-wide.
One of the lucky suburbs that could be selected for the trial is Mosman, with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed.
The Ku-ring-gai LGA on Sydney’s Upper North Shore is also looking to be first in the door, reporting 24 active cases and 86.9 per cent of residents with one jab.
Residents who live in suburbs such as Roseville, St Ives, Wahroonga, Pymble, Lindfield and Turramurra could look forward to a drink in just a few weeks time.
It’s the same story for fully-vaccinated residents in postcodes like North Sydney, Hunters Hill and Gordon, where active cases of the virus remain low.
John Green, the director of the Australian Hotels Association, said the trial will give the city’s pubs a good opportunity for testing the new vaccination technology.
‘It just makes sense to put it into play, see how it works and then everyone benefits,’ Mr Green said.
One of the lucky suburbs that could be selected for the government trial is Mosman (pictured) with the suburb reporting only six active cases of the virus and more than 75 per cent of its residents single-dosed
NSW recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 infections on Monday amid warnings the outbreak will surge in the next week
However, Opposition Leader Chris Minns has slammed the trial and argued it wasn’t fair that some residents got to enjoy the freedoms earlier than others.
‘You can’t have a plan where one third of Sydney is under curfew but you can go out and get a rosè in the Northern Beaches and the North Shore, it’s just not fair,’ he said.
Meanwhile, long-suffering residents in Sydney’s west and southwest remain under the toughest lockdown restrictions in the state, including a controversial curfew.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro claimed the curfews did more bad than good, with no health advice to back them up.
Despite surging vaccination rates in hotspot suburbs including Bankstown (pictured on Sunday), they are likely to miss out on new freedoms
Pubs will only be initially opened in postcodes where vaccination rates are high and case numbers are low (pictured, a Bondi resident seen shopping)
Mr Barilaro argued the tough measure imposed on Western Sydney did little to reduce daily case numbers and has become a burden on residents’ mental health.
Locked-down residents in 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney are not permitted to leave their homes from 9pm-5am unless they are an authorised worker or involved in an emergency or need medical care.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian initially rebuffed calls to enforce the tough measure on Sydneysiders but relented after daily case numbers began to skyrocket and compliance in some suburbs began to dwindle.
In spite of the doom and gloom, vaccination rates in Sydney’s Covid hotspots have begun to skyrocket well above the national average.
Blacktown in Sydney’s west is leading the charge with an impressive 86 per cent of its residents jabbed with a single dose of a Covid vaccine.
Vaccination rates have rocketed in Sydney’s LGA hotspots (pictured, Bankstown on Sunday) as locals heed the call to get jabbed
Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with capacity limits in mid-October (pictured, young fans during a Sydney Swans game in April)
Campbelltown closely followed with 82 per cent of residents single-dosed, with Parramatta at 81 per cent, Penrith at 79 per cent and Strathfield at 78 per cent.
The high rates come as residents are afforded a glimpse at the state’s roadmap out of lockdowns following NSW hitting 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday.
While the official plan has not been signed off on yet, government officials have said the highly-anticipated roadmap will be announced later this week.
Pubs and restaurants will reopen for the fully-vaccinated in mid-October with a four square metre rule in place.
Hairdressers and barbers will reopen and vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with a four square metre rule.
Sporting crowds will be allowed to return to stadiums as long as they are fully-jabbed with capacity limits.
NSW is well on its way to reaching the 70 per cent fully-vaccinated target (pictured, a woman is vaccinated in Sydney’s Redfern)
Hairdressers and barbers are set to reopen in mid-October as well as vaccinated services in places of worship can be held with rules on social distancing (pictured, a woman gets her hair coloured in March)
Gatherings in households will also be permitted as long as visitors have had two doses of a Covid vaccine, with a cap on the number of guests.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said he would work with the federal government to ensure residents could prove they were double-jabbed on the Service NSW app.
‘Service NSW and Services Australia are currently finalising the details of the trial,’ Mr Dominello told NCA NewsWire.
‘Its broader application will be subject to the government’s reopening plan and the health orders.’
‘Anyone double-dosed will have all their freedoms back and be able to go shopping, dine in restaurants, and ‘do the things we’ve all been missing’, Ms Berejiklian said in relation to when 70 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated
Ms Berejiklian said hitting 70 per cent single doses was an ‘outstanding achievement’ but though there was relief for some Sydneysiders, lockdown would only end when 70 per cent of the state was fully vaccinated.
Anyone double-dosed will have all their freedoms back and be able to go shopping, dine in restaurants, and ‘do the things we’ve all been missing’, she said.
Then at 80 per cent, the premier said international travel will finally return after more than 18 months, and thousands of stranded Australians will be welcomed home.
Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by mid-October, and then residents will finally be afforded freedoms to visit the pub, restaurants and stadium events.
NSW is the first state in Australia to reach the 70 per cent first dose target and will likely be the first to reach the second dose target as well, with 40 per cent full-vaccinated as of Monday.
Last week, the premier encouraged businesses to dust off their Covid safety plans and ensure their employees were vaccinated in preparation for mid-October.
‘That is certainly the date we’re working towards. Initially it was the end of October, but because everybody is coming forward at the rates we’re seeing people come forward, that could be as early as the middle of October,’ she said.
Ms Berejiklian also promised further restrictions would ease for those living in Covid hotspots once it was safe to do so.
‘We know that between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of all cases are still coming from those areas,’ she said.
‘However, there are some councils we’re looking at to see if we can relieve those burdens or even part of councils. That’s ongoing work.’
It comes as healthcare workers across the state have been told to brace themselves for a surge in hospitalisations with daily infections to number more than 2,000.
Modelling released by NSW Health on Monday revealed hospital intensive care units will be pushed to the brink as admissions are set to triple in October.
Sydneysiders have been afforded a glimpse at the state’s roadmap out of lockdowns after the state hit 70 per cent first-dose vaccination on Thursday (patrons enjoy pizza in Bondi in May 2020)
However, Ms Berejiklian is still expected to announce an easing of some lockdown restrictions and assured residents ICU capacity could be expanded to 1,550 patients.
‘We certainly don’t want to have to use all of those beds and staff because we know what pressure it will put on the system, but we want everybody to be reassured that the capacity is there,’ she said.
Operating theatres will be converted to makeshift ICU units while each staff member will be responsible for an increased number of patients, the modelling stated.
The report reiterated the importance of vaccinations in Covid hotspots and stated jabs in arms was more important than reducing the number of daily infections.
Modelling suggests NSW will reach the 70 per cent double vaccination target by October 21, and then residents will finally be afforded freedoms to visit the pub, restaurants and stadium events (pictured, patrons at a restaurant in Sydney in March 2020)
NSW is the first state in Australia to reach the 70 per cent first dose target and will likely be the first to reach the second dose target as well (pictured, women in Richmond in June 2020)
On Sunday, NSW hit the halfway mark to 80 per cent double vaccination that will allow it to treat coronavirus like the flu, open state borders and international travel.
The premier offered an insight into what life will look like when that hits 70 per cent, indicating there would be density limits in hospitality venues and QR codes when businesses reopened.
Capacity limits on large events will be maintained to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.
And, most importantly, once the 80 per cent double jab target is reached, NSW will ‘never have to do a statewide lockdown ever again’, the premier promised.
NSW recorded 1,281 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 and five deaths on Monday.