As the rate of second dose vaccinations speeds up, it is expected that the Reopening NSW Roadmap’s 80 per cent settings will come into effect next Monday, 18 October.
The Roadmap, which will be for those who are fully vaccinated, will see to the reopening of community sports as well as reunions with family and friends.
Starting 1 November, the cap for weddings and funerals will be lifted and masks will no longer be required inside offices. Drinking while standing and dancing will also be permitted indoors and outdoors at hospitality venues, which will also no longer be capped.
The NSW Government will be removing quarantine requirements and caps for overseas arrivals who are recognised as fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine. Further advice on testing requirements for arrivals will be provided in the coming days.
Fully vaccinated travellers will be able to complete their quarantine requirements on November 1, even if it is less than 14-days.
Meanwhile, overseas arrivals who are not fully vaccinated will be capped at 210 people per week. They will also be required to undergo mandatory 14-days hotel quarantine.
Travel between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW will be permitted to allow people in the regions more time to receive their second vaccine.
The second taper of the JobSaver program will be deferred until October 31 to support impacted regional businesses. They will receive 30 per cent of weekly payroll before tapering payments to the scheduled 15 per cent from November 1.
“We have reached this vaccination milestone quicker than anyone thought we could, and that is a testament to the hard work of people across the State turning out to get vaccinated,” Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
“Welcoming back fully vaccinated travellers will not only mean families and friends can be home in time for Christmas, but it will also give our economy a major boost.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the tough decision has been made to delay travel between Regional NSW and Greater Sydney in order to give the regions more time to get vaccinated.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres welcomed the Reopening NSW Roadmap, recognising it as an important step on the road to recovery.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the NSW community had done an extraordinary job on reaching the 80 per cent double dose vaccination target.
“We can’t forget that COVID is still circulating amongst us in NSW and we need to keep getting vaccinated to push the double dose rates even higher. We want to get as close to 100 per cent double vaccination as possible to keep everyone safe,” Minister Hazzard said.
NSW residents will still need to comply with COVID-Safe check-ins and provide proof of vaccination to staff in most settings.
As previously announced in the Reopening NSW Roadmap, it is expected that more of the imposed lockdown restrictions will be relaxed by 1 December.
Source: NSW Government Media Release