NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised fully vaccinated residents that they’ll have “at least one” freedom restored to them by week’s end – but lockdown won’t be over.
The state recorded 818 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, as well as three deaths.
Ms Berejiklian says a record 738,000 people were vaccinated in NSW last week, with 5.9 million jabs in arms to date.
The NSW premier has previously flagged increased freedoms for fully vaccinated residents once the state records six million vaccinations.
With that total to be reached on Tuesday, Ms Berejiklian on Monday night said the government would offer “at least one” eased restriction on residents who are fully vaccinated.
She did not outline what that would be, saying it was still being worked out by health authorities, but it would come by week’s end.
NSW chief psychiatrist Murray Wright has been consulted.
“We won’t have real freedom unless we hit the 70 per cent double dose vaccination,” Ms Berejiklian told the Nine Network.
“In NSW, we are likely to have that (rate) at the end of October and hit 80 per cent – which gives us life before the outbreak, pretty much life as we knew it – in the middle of November.
“I have never suggested that life will be free once we get to six million jabs, but what I have said and will honour is that if you are fully vaccinated there will be at least one thing you can do that you cannot do now, just to give people a bit of relief.”
Lockdown will remain in place until at least August 28 in regional NSW and at least September 30 in Sydney and surrounds.
Ms Berejiklian acknowledged her government had underestimated the virulence of the Delta strain, electing to avoid an immediate lockdown when it first appeared in Bondi in mid-June.
But she reiterated all governments would eventually need to tolerate COVID-19 in the community as “we can’t live like hermits forever”.
“I am very up front about being held accountable, I lead the government, but we base all the decisions on the best advice at the time … we will not be perfect,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday told a parliamentary inquiry that life in NSW would be “pretty damn good” by November as vaccination coverage approaches 70 and 80 per cent.
Mr Hazzard also said he hoped to sign a public health order by week’s end mandating vaccination for NSW healthcare workers.
More than three quarters of healthcare workers in NSW have had at least one vaccine dose, rising to 89 per cent in metropolitan areas.
Ms Berejiklian also promised to soon clarify whether school students will be able to return to classrooms in term four.
There are currently 586 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals, with 100 people in intensive care and 32 on a ventilator.
NSW Health currently manages about 500 intensive care beds but has a surge capacity of about 2000, with a ventilator for each bed.
AAP
