NSW locals are hoping they have just five weeks of lockdown left - but one figure could derail that, with the premier issuing a warning yesterday.
Welcome to our coverage of NSW’s Covid-19 situation.
The state is well on its way to its 70 per cent double dose vaccination goal — after more than 75 per cent of people received their first jab — prompting NSW’s Crisis Cabinet to tentatively predict October 18 as the day restaurants, bars and retail would open for fully vaccinated people.
The state recorded 1405 new cases of coronavirus yesterday with authorities calling on NSW to keep vaccination rates high.
“(Wednesday) in New South Wales we had just over 107,000 people get vaccinated, which is a great outcome. However, we are seeing that rate slightly decline,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
“We really need to call upon anybody who hasn‘t had any doses to come forward ... That is really important for us to keep the pace that we have managed to have in the last few weeks.”
Victoria recorded 324 cases yesterday and Queensland had one new case.
Follow below for today’s top updates. Just make sure you keep refreshing the page for the latest news.
Fears NSW’s vaccination rate is falling
NSW’s out-of-control Delta outbreak saw the state have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world late last month but authorities are beginning to fear that number is slowing.
More than 42 per cent of NSW residents are now fully vaccinated with the state on track to hit 80 per cent single dose on Monday.
But Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned yesterday said the vaccination rate had declined slightly and urged people to turn out.
“(Wednesday) in New South Wales we had just over 107,000 people get vaccinated, which is a great outcome. However, we are seeing that rate slightly decline,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We really need to call upon anybody who hasn't had any doses to come forward and get their first dose, but also to make sure that you come forward for your second dose as soon as you can as well.
“That is really important for us to keep the pace that we have managed to have in the last few weeks.”
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant also called on people to book in for a vaccine.
“Book your appointment for vaccine. Over the coming weeks, the supply to general practice is increasing as the Commonwealth have procured and brought forward doses of vaccine. Please ensure that you continually check and get an appointment and get vaccinated as soon as possible,” she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday by mid-October there would be enough supplies to offer a first and second dose to all of the eligible Australian population.
NSW will likely go from 70 to 80 per cent double dose in ‘a few weeks’
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has high hopes for NSW, telling Today she hopes the state will jump from 70 to 80 per cent double dose in a matter of weeks.
The premier said despite some criticism of her government’s roadmap to freedom, “it is actually a bit more conservative” than the national plan agreed to.
“It is not as ambitious as what some aspects of the national plan are. What we have done is completely based on health advice, completely based on what is advice, completely based on what is a safe thing to do,” she said.
The premier said the extra safeguards in place, when NSW opens up at 70 per cent vaccination, would hopefully keep the health system in check.
“The challenge for us is for everybody to stick to the plan, to not let loose, to keep making sure we obey the restrictions that in place now and obviously when we start opening up at 70 per cent we want to see the case numbers lower,” she said.
“The interesting thing is, in New South Wales, it is only likely to be a few weeks between 70 per cent and 80 per cent double dose. If we work really hard, it might only be a couple of weeks between those two dates.”
Arborists charged after allegedly leaving Sydney twice in a month
NSW Police has charged four arborists after they allegedly returned to the Lake Macquarie area, breaching the Public Health Order for the second time this month.
Police received reports from members of the public on September 1 about a group of arborists who had been canvassing the Lake Macquarie area for work.
The following day, police spoke to the men, who told police they’d been working in the region on weekdays and returning to Greater Sydney on weekends, including to LGAs of concern.
Police allege one of the men had provided inaccurate information to obtain a Service NSW permit to leave Greater Sydney and enter Regional NSW, another man did not have a permit at all, and other employees hadn’t had a Covid-19 test prior to leaving Greater Sydney as required under the Public Health Order.
Police fined seven men - for a total of $33,000 - and directed them to return to Sydney.
Police allege about 2.30pm yesterday, a group of six arborists were again in the Lake Macquarie region, doorknocking homes in Cardiff.
Four men were arrested and issued Court Attendance Notices for not comply with noticed direction and not ensure true and accurate information provided to Service NSW.
Police will allege a 41-year-old from Kingswood, a 25-year-old from Leumeah, a 57-year-old from Colyton and a 37-year-old from Whalan had previously been issued with PINs for breaching the Public Health Order.
Police will further allege the men were operating under a different business name and had removed all company identification from their vehicles.
The men will appear at Toronto Local Court on November 2.
A fifth man – a 33-year-old from Ropes Crossing – was issued with PINs totalling $6000 for breaching the Public Health Order and providing inaccurate information in his permit application.
Investigations remain ongoing into the sixth man.
Freedom plan is ‘inequitable’
NSW residents are eagerly awaiting a slight easing of their Covid lockdown next month but one professor said the government’s roadmap to freedom is “inequitable”.
Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, an infectious diseases expert and epidemiologist at the UNSW, said many young people had not yet been given an opportunity to get vaccinated, and the roadmap overwhelmingly favoured people over 40.
“It's great that the authorities understand that NSW, particularly Greater Sydney, is under enormous lockdown fatigue,” she told Today.
“One of the problems with the (freedom) plan is that it's inequitable.
“For example, opening up at 70 per cent (double dose) vaccine, you know ... NSW is at about 43, nearly 44 per cent fully vaccinated. But of those, they are mainly 40 years and over.
“So I would really ask the authorities to find a way of ensuring that when they do open up, that the young adults can actually be part of that, but they can't at the moment, because they've really been left behind with vaccine opportunities, and so the authorities really should make a catch-up plan so the young really can get vaccinated faster than they have been able to.”
Prof McLaws yesterday called on the state government to focus on ramping up vaccination rates among the younger cohort over the next two weeks, to give them time to be double vaxxed come October.
“Our government is going to have to work very hard at getting more vaccine into New South Wales so we can get that rate up fast, particularly in that young group,” she said.
NSW will be a ‘bit of an experiment’
Professor Sharon Lewin, the director of the Doherty Institute that produced the official modelling for the federal government, has commented on NSW’s vaccination roadmap.
Prof Lewin said she was “quite comfortable” with the plan, that would see fully vaccinated residents afforded some freedom next month, but said the state would likely go through an experimental phase.
“The general principle of allowing vaccinated people more freedoms is a good one. The personal risk if you're double vaccinated is greatly reduced from landing in hospital. We know that when we look around the country, the vast majority of people in hospitals right now are unvaccinated,” she told ABC News Breakfast.
“Australians, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, have been putting up with a lot of restrictions and many that are double vaccinated probably don't need that because they are personally protected. There is no rule book here.
“It is a bit of an experiment, no doubt about that. It may need to be modified based on how things go, that is an important qualifier. The most important thing to keep our eye on is the health care system. The health care system in New South Wales is finding this difficult already and we don't want that overloaded further.”
One new case of Delta could put regions into lockdown
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro spoke with ABC News Breakfast this morning, revealing a single case of the Delta strain could put regions into lockdown.
Mr Barilaro outlined the roadmap to freedom for both Greater Sydney and regional NSW yesterday.
And while parts of NSW will see their restrictions dropped tomorrow, Mr Barilaro said it wouldn’t take much to lock them down, if necessary.
“We still have to be vigilant. We still have to follow the rules. We are opening up large parts of regional and rural New South Wales but in a very restricted environment. A lot of conditions on pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, movement activity, certain sectors and we need people to abide by it,” he said.
“The reality is that we do have cases in the regions. We have our sewerage surveillance and our contact tracers who are alerted to what is occurring on the ground. I don't want to have to lock down regions again but we have said if there are cases that pop up in any local government area, we will shut down those local government areas for a 14 day period.”
Mr Barilaro said “absolutely” the government would lock down regions for 14 days if there was a single case detected.
“We know with Delta, it is transmissible and so contagious but we have no other choice but to shut down. We have done that previously, we had a situation in Orange and Armidale and we shut down for a week or two and got on top of it and reopen. The same approach continues,” he said.
Where NSW residents will be able to fly first
Flight Centre boss Graham Turner has predicted NSW residents will be able to fly to Europe before they can see their interstate Aussies in places like Queensland and Western Australia.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Turner said he was expecting airlines to announce flights between Sydney and London as early as November.
“NSW has nothing to lose,” Mr Turner told the publication.
“They’ve got the infection. It doesn’t matter that they bring in more.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday she hoped international flights would resume when 80 per cent of the population was double vaxxed.
And trials for home quarantine are proving to be successful and safe.
Mr Turner predicted Aussies would be able to fly to Europe, Singapore, Canada, the US and Fiji before Christmas.
Digital vaccination passports, to allow people to travel internationally, will be rolled out next month.
“I have every confidence that by the time New South Wales gets to 80 per cent double dose, and I don’t think too many states will be too far behind, that we will then not be having any internal borders in Australia and our eye will be towards international travel as well,” the premier said yesterday.
Full details of NSW’s road map to freedom revealed
NSW’s road map to freedom has been revealed with 70 per cent double dose the target to ease restrictions on a number of industries.
The restrictions will be eased on the Monday after NSW hits 70 per cent double dose. Only fully vaccinated people and those with medical exemptions will have access to the freedoms allowed under the Reopening NSW road map.
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 4 sqm inside and one person per 2 sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside • Retail stores can reopen under the one person per 4 sqm 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 4 sqm, capped at five clients per premises
• Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the one person per 4 sqm 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 4 sqm, 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 4 sqm 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 4 sqm 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.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiuAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS93b3JsZC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy9hdXN0cmFsaWEvbnN3LWNvdmlkLW5ld3MtbGl2ZS1yb2FkbWFwLXRvLWZyZWVkb20tcmV2ZWFsZWQtYXMtcHJlbWllci11cmdlcy1oaWdoLXZhY2NpbmF0aW9uLXVwdGFrZS9uZXdzLXN0b3J5L2E5N2E3M2VlMTI4YTNjMzk0ZDNhOWExOGYwOGFhMGY10gEA?oc=5
2021-09-09 20:53:44Z
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