When Sydney residents will be allowed to travel to regions

Unvaccinated residents on the North Coast are set to lose some of their freedoms next month, with the state deputy acknowledging the difficulties some have getting vaccinated.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks at a Covid-19 press conference. Picture: Adam Yip

An announcement on whether Tweed and Byron shires will be coming out of lockdown is expected later Monday afternoon.

It comes after the Northern NSW Health District recorded no new cases of Covid-19, however virus fragments were found in Grafton (north and south), in Wardell, and on the North Coast.

However the lifted restrictions won’t last for long for the vaccinated population.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said residents in regional and rural NSW who were not fully vaccinated by October 11 would lose some of their freedoms when access to hospitality and retail was restricted to fully vaccinated residents.

“There is no excuse not to get vaccinated,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Let’s not fall behind, freedom day is a couple of weeks away.”

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Mr Barilaro said going forward vaccinations would be the way to defend against Covid-19 as opposed to lockdowns but acknowledged the difficulties some residents had getting Pfizer.

“There are people who will fall through the cracks,” Mr Barilaro said.

He encouraged anyone with a Pfizer booking later in the year to check if new appointments had become available sooner.

He said residents who have had AstraZeneca could get their second jab as early as four weeks after the first.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says regional NSW could be opened back up to Sydney as early as next month when the state hits the 80 per cent vaccination rate.

Sydney residents will soon be allowed to travel to the regions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Northern NSW MPs last week asked the premier to delay opening up the North Coast to allow the vaccination rates to catch up, changing the previous opening rate of 70 per cent to 80 per cent.

Ms Berejiklian on Monday said Sydney was expected to reach 80 per cent at the end of October before fully vaccinated residents would be allowed to travel freely throughout the entire state and visit hospitality and retail in limited numbers.

Places of worship will be allowed to open to unvaccinated at 80 per cent.

Ms Berejiklian said the vaccination rate was expected to reach 90 per cent on December 1, when unvaccinated people would be allowed to enjoy the same freedoms as everyone else.

Venues will also increase capacity to one person per two square meters.

NSW recorded 787 cases overnight and 12 deaths, six were not vaccinated, five one dose and one double dosed.

Covid fragments were detected in sewage at South Grafton, North Grafton and Wardell at the weekend.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday remained unclear on when the border would reopen to NSW.

She said she was waiting for an updated Covid-19 Doherty report to make a decision on the border.

Originally published as When Sydney residents will be allowed to travel to regions