Scott Morrison reiterates promise to have Australians reunite for Christmas

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he wants locked down families to see each other for Christmas, but it will take more than vaccines.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reiterated his promise to have Australian families reunite for Christmas but says lockdowns “have to work”.

Mr Morrison said he was looking forward to having Covid-19 vaccine targets met by the end of the year, to ensure “we can have everyone around the table” for the festive season.

“I hope we can achieve a lot more before then. But what that requires is all to do what we have been doing. Stay home if you are in a lockdown area,” he told A Current Affair on Thursday.

“Vaccines really make a big difference, no question about that but if you are in a lockdown, the lockdown also has to work.”

Greater Sydney is now in its eighth week of lockdown with no clear end in sight and NSW confirmed a record 681 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday.

Melbourne residents meanwhile woke to their 200th day in lockdown since the pandemic began, while Victoria recorded 57 cases of the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is looking forward to having vaccine targets met by the end of the year to ensure “we can have everyone around the table”. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

More than half of all eligible Australians, those aged over 16, have now had their first dose, five months into the initially beleaguered vaccine rollout.

Mr Morrison has promised everyone will have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated by the end of the year, with two shots of either the AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

“Our goal is to get to the point where we can live with this Covid-19 just like we do with the flu,” he said on Thursday.

Melburnians woke to their 200th day in lockdown since the pandemic began. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nicki Connolly

“When you get to 80 per cent vaccination, the advice received is that is then you start to see Covid-19, with some basic protections in the community, operating a lot like the flu.”

National cabinet has agreed to begin easing some restrictions once 70 per cent of eligible Australians are vaccinated, with more freedoms promised once the 80 per cent threshold is met.

Mr Morrison told A Current Affair more than 300,000 doses were now being administered each day.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Morrison announced that all Australians aged over 16 would be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine from August 30.

Originally published as Scott Morrison reiterates promise to have Australians reunite for Christmas