'See you at the pub': Expected date when NSW will open venues

The NSW government reportedly has a date in mind for when people can return to pubs, bars and restaurants.

With 74 per cent of the state's residents having received their first vaccination dose NSW is tracking to open up earlier than expected.

The state government has promised new freedoms when 70 per cent of the population have received their second dose of a Covid vaccine.

The freedoms attached to that milestone are expected to be offered from October 14, according to 2GB's Ben Fordham.

"The NSW government will introduce a new public health order. The new health order will make it clear that pubs and clubs can only accept people who are fully vaccinated," he told listeners on Tuesday morning.

"I think the slogan should be, See You at the Pub."

Staff and patrons must prove they are vaccinated

It's expected venues will display QR codes linked to vaccine certificates. When scanned, a patron's vaccination status will appear on their phone's screen.

Digital Minister Victor Dominello said the government is in the process of finishing upgrades to the state's app so that it can display a user’s vaccine status upon checking into hospitality venues.

"At this point you're probably saying 'yeah, yeah, we've heard this all before. When is it actually going to happen?'

"Well, I can give you a date. The date they're working towards is October 14," Mr Fordham said.

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"That is the date they're aiming at for pubs to open to vaccinated customers, being served by vaccinated staff – fully vaccinated that is."

While it could ultimately happen sooner, "I suggest you circle October 14 in your diary," the 2GB host said.

The date is about two weeks earlier than what the NSW government initially projected for a return to hospitality venues.

NSW Premier refuses to confirm opening date

When asked about the October 14 date on Tuesday, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian would not be drawn on confirming the exact day her government was targeting.

"Those things that we all miss are only going to be available to those who are vaccinated," she told reporters.

"I don't want to put a date on it at this time, we’re still working on the detail. But it would be important to note that we've done a lot of work towards that already."

NSW reported 1281 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 and five fatalities on Monday, taking the death toll for the current outbreak to 131.

As of Tuesday, there were some 192 Covid patients in intensive care, with 75 on ventilators. The state on Monday released very basic modelling projections of how it expects ICU wards to cope with the influx of patients in the next six weeks. NSW nurses say ICU staffing levels are at crisis point.

With the vaccine rollout gathering steam LGAs of concern Blacktown and Camden have now had more than 85 per cent of residents receive at least one jab. Other hotspots of Campbelltown, Bankstown, Parramatta, Penrith and Cumberland are close behind.

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