It’s the news every resident of NSW has been waiting for: the state's "roadmap to freedom". Once 70 per cent of eligible adults over the age of 16 have had two doses of a vaccine, pubs, bars, cafés, restaurants, gyms, hairdressers and beauty salons will be allowed to welcome back fully vaccinated customers, from the first Monday after hitting this vaccination target. This is likely to be by October 20, however, the premier Gladys Berejiklian said there wasn't a specific date that could be confirmed at this point. The staff of businesses that are allowed to reopen will also need to be fully vaccinated.
A full breakdown of the businesses that will be reopening can be found here.
The state will be introducing an electronic vaccine passport that will be attached to the Service NSW app that is in statewide use for checking-in purposes. Analogue print-out versions of this passport will also be available for people who do not have access to an electronic device.
While the prospect of regaining some freedoms is very welcome news, there will still be significant health protocols in place to prevent unvaccinated people from being exposed to the virus. Some businesses are likely to struggle to open given that the majority of hospitality workers are aged between 18-49, and may be waiting to receive their first dose of the difficult-to-access Pfizer vaccine.
The four-square-metre rule will once again be in effect, and eateries, bars and pubs will only be able to offer table service, similar to the conditions in place when Sydney emerged from its first lockdown last June. Gyms, hairdressers, spas and other similar personal services will be allowed to reopen, but both staff and patrons will need to be vaccinated, masks will be mandatory and capacity limits will apply. Other workplaces, such as offices, are unlikely to reopen, with working from home orders to remain in place.
Lockdown rules in parts of the state which have recorded few or no positive cases, such as the North Coast and the Riverina, will be lifted sooner, although lockdown rules will remain across the Greater Sydney region including the Central Coast and Blue Mountains until the 70 per cent vaccine target is reached. Newcastle and the Hunter region are also to remain under lockdown until that vaccination threshold.
Unvaccinated people are likely to be under the same lockdown measures that are currently in place. The premier has been clear about only offering freedoms to NSW residents who have had two jabs, as both a way to protect those who are not inoculated and to incentivise people to come forward for vaccination.