NSW makes MAJOR changes to roadmap with bad news for the unvaccinated
A number of Covid-19 restrictions will be relaxed three weeks ahead of schedule in NSW, as cases of the wildly infectious Delta variant remain low and vaccination rates soar.
Reopening dance floors, increasing density limits and scrapping caps on home visitors are among a host of sweeping changes to the state’s roadmap the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Tuesday.
“This is a long journey and challenges still lay ahead but our success as a state and being able to open up safely is a testament to everybody in New South Wales who has gone out and made the effort to get vaccinated,” he told reporters.
From November 8, the new fast-tracked freedoms for fully vaccinated people include:
There will be no limit on visitors to a home
No rules for outdoor gatherings fewer than 1,000 people
Businesses will move to the 1 person per 2 sqm rule
Nightclubs will re-open dance floors
Caps will be removed for settings other than gyms and dance classes
Setback for unvaccinated residents
However, freedoms for the unvaccinated have been pushed back in a bid to motivate them to get the jab.
Those who are not fully vaccinated will have to wait until the state hits its 95 per cent double vaccination target, which is estimated to be around December 15.
They were previously promised they would be under the same rules as the rest of the population at the beginning of December.
"Ultimately we want a united society and we believe that by moving that date back to December 15 that will incentivise and we are hopeful that we can get that rate up to 95 per cent," Mr Perrottet said.
"That will not just be nation leading it will be world leading as well.
"That is the key to opening up."
Covid cases fall amid soaring vaccine rates
The revised roadmap comes after NSW recorded 173 new cases of Covid-19 and four deaths.
The number of people in hospital with the deadly virus has also continued to fall.
There were with 333 Covid-19 patients in hospital on Tuesday, 72 of whom are in intensive care.
Data shows 93.6 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and over have received their first dose of the Covid-19 shot and 87.8 per cent are fully immunised.
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