NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says it is definitely safe to book Christmas holidays, as outdoor public pools reopen and construction sites return to full capacity across NSW from today.
Key points:
- Sixty per cent of people aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated
- Travel to regional NSW at 70 per cent double vaccinations is being reconsidered
- Unvaccinated staff and patrons are allowed in outdoor pools from today
As of Saturday, 60 per cent of eligible people aged 16 and over had been fully vaccinated, bringing NSW closer to the 70 per cent trigger needed for more freedoms.
Yesterday, the Premier said it was time to start planning trips.
"I know that everybody is keen to book their holidays, their time away," she said.
"In NSW it is definitely safe to book for Christmas, to think ahead for the future but also to definitely look at November as a month where you can start planning."
However, it is not clear if all of the state will be open for travel, with concerns over lower vaccination rates in some regional areas.
AAP: Joel Carrett
)"We are considering all of Greater Sydney opening up at the same time, so we don't want to leave any areas behind," Ms Berejiklian said.
"We don't want to leave any doubt as to rates of vaccination in the regions. Some areas are doing as well as some parts of Western Sydney, in other areas not so much."
Recent data shows Dubbo in east-central NSW has fully vaccinated 60 to 69 per cent of its eligible population. Forty to 49 per cent have had two doses in Albury, in the state's north, with Wollongong in the Illawarra region recording the same numbers.
In the latest reporting period, there were 961 new cases and nine deaths in NSW.
NSW Health's Jeremy McAnulty said most of the infections were still concentrated in suburbs of Western and south-west Sydney such as Guildford, Auburn, Merrylands and Punchbowl. But concerns are emerging in the Central Coast and Illawarra regions.
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)Ms Berejiklian would not be drawn on whether regional travel would definitely happen at 80 per cent.
A roadmap for what life will look like at that milestone is expected this week, along with the types of activities allowed for those that are unvaccinated.
She did warn finding "COVID-normal" would be a gradual process.
"I don't want to be a party-pooper by saying there is no such day as 'Freedom Day'," she said.
"But our reopening and finding COVID-normal will be a step-by-step process, it will not happen in a day, it will take a couple of weeks or months."
Unvaccinated people allowed in pools
Residents in Sydney's hotspots and those in areas with stay-at-home-orders can now go to their local outdoor pool.
The change to the public health order applies to vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Yesterday, there was some confusion over who could gain entry to swimming pools after the Premier said those over 18 needed to be vaccinated.
But Dr McAnulty confirmed the plans did allow for unvaccinated outdoor exercise.
"Outdoor pools are outdoors, and by the nature of that, that's a much lower risk of transmission of COVID than indoors," he said.
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)Pool staff do not need to be vaccinated. A number of councils however, have stated on their websites and social media pages that vaccinations are "encouraged".
Businesses have been provided with a checklist that needs to be addressed in COVID safety plans.
- The wellbeing of staff and customers
- Physical distancing
- Ventilation
- Hygiene and cleaning
- Record keeping
Safety plans must be submitted to NSW Health for review.
Bondi Icebergs pool in Sydney's eastern suburbs will not open today. The club said the venue was not COVID-safe.
Outdoor facilities managed by City of Sydney, including the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, Prince Alfred Park Pool and Victoria Park Pool, will open from 6:00am.
Patrons are asked to adhere to COVID measures such as using QR codes to check in and maintaining social distancing. Council also said people could attend in groups of two if unvaccinated, and up to five if vaccinated.
Entry to Blacktown Aquatic Centre in Western Sydney is free today to say "thank you to the community and their resilience". All facilities managed by council are subject to the 4-square metre rule and online booking is required.
The rule limiting construction sites to 50 per cent capacity if they have any unvaccinated workers no longer applies, meaning the industry is now back to 100 per cent capacity.
All construction sites will be able to have one person per 4 square metres, even if unvaccinated workers are present.
However, workers from the 12 local government areas (LGAs) of concern will still only be allowed to leave their area for work if they are vaccinated.
Anyone from the LGAs of concern — Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield and some suburbs of Penrith — must also continue to register to work outside of their area.
There are 1,146 people in hospital being treated for COVID-19, with 222 of these in intensive care. Of those, 117 are on ventilators.
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2021-09-26 19:56:53Z
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