Covid-19: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian plots path to freedom

NSW has become the first state to shun surging case numbers and commit to return individual freedoms to those who have been fully vaccinated.

A nurse administers a Covid vaccine at an Australian Sikh Association pop-up clinic in Glenwood, Sydney, on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

NSW has become the first state to shun surging case numbers and commit to return individual freedoms to those who have been fully vaccinated, under plans that will ease restrictions in September ahead of a tentative economic ­revival in October, when battered industries will finally reopen.

In what is shaping to be a significant test of how an Australian government plans to co-exist with the Delta strain of Covid-19, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Thursday that basic freedoms would be restored to vaccinated residents in September and extended in October once 70 per cent of the state was fully inoculated.

The plan was announced as the state recorded more than 1000 cases in a day and health officials warned that those numbers would continue to climb.

It also came as fresh modelling from the University of Sydney showed case numbers across Australia could approach 40,000 a day if restrictions were removed too quickly once a vaccination coverage of 80 per cent was achieved.

From September 13, restrictions in NSW will be eased for people living outside local government areas of concern, ­allowing them to participate in outdoor gatherings with up to five people, including children, provided it is within their LGA or 5km of their home.

Residents within LGAs of concern will be similarly able to gather outdoors for recreation, but it will be limited to one hour, within the existing curfew limit, and no further than 5km from their home. The rule stipulates that every member of the household receive both vaccinations.

“From the various options we looked at, that was the option that met the mental health needs and wellbeing of our community, but also provided the lowest-risk setting,” Ms Berejiklian said.

But the news was met with some criticism in the local government areas of concern.

“When you consider that some people in the household may have chosen not to get vaccinated, and that could impact the freedom of other adults in the household who have been vaccinated, it has potential to cause unrest,” said Cumberland City Council Mayor Steve Christou. “You can’t force your partner or another adult in your household to be vaccinated.”

A further announcement is ­expected on Friday in relation to schooling and the state’s roadmap to usher students back to classrooms.

Officials announced 1029 new cases of the virus, of which 94 were known to be infectious in the community at some point, with 844 cases under investigation for their isolation status.

With many industries and communities eager for some certainty on when they might be able to reopen, Ms Berejiklian stated unequivocally that vaccinated people would be given additional freedoms once the state reached a milestone of 70 per cent vaccination coverage. Restrictions would then be eased further once the state achieved 80 per cent coverage, she said.

Officials had hoped to reach 70 per cent coverage by the end of October, but the pace of immunisation has been exceeding expectations and the target was now likely to be achieved by earlier October.

“Our key message is you must be vaccinated to participate in what can occur from that time,” Mr Berejiklian said, using some of the strongest language yet to confirm the state’s roadmap out of lockdown.

“We’re asking industry to dust off their Covid safety plans, get the QR codes in check, and we’re also working on an app in NSW that will allow you to sign in to a venue but also have proof of your vax all in one, to make it as simple as ­possible.”

For now, regional communities will stay in lockdown until at least September 10, a decision that jars with promises made last week to ease restrictions this weekend in communities unaffected by the virus. The health advice, Ms Berejiklian said, warned against moving too soon.

NSW reached a first-dose vaccination coverage of 62.8 per cent on Wednesday, with a second-dose coverage of 33.8 per cent.

The University of Sydney modelling predicts that daily Covid-19 cases are likely to reach their ­nationwide peak by early October – at 1500 to 6000 a day – just as ­restrictions are expected to be eased in NSW.

 

“Although it is encouraging that more people are being vaccinated, we can expect to see a rapid increase in cases when we exit the lockdown,” said Mikhail Prokopenko, director of the University’s Centre for Complex Systems.

He said the impact of cases would depend on the continuing rise in vaccine uptake, a maintenance of physical distancing, and a healthcare system sufficiently strengthened to withstand a surge in hospital admissions.