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Some major changes to the New South Wales’ COVID-19 roadmap will be brought forward by nearly one month as the state hits vaccine milestones at a blistering pace, with eased restrictions to come into effect for vaccinated people from Monday 8 November.
The changes, which include the lifting of capacity limits, the introduction of the one person per two square metre rule for all settings, and full stadiums for major events will come into force from 8 November.
This is well ahead of the planned 1 December date previously pencilled in for these changes.
At the same time, the state government has decided to push back the easing of restrictions for those who are not fully vaccinated until 15 December, in line with when it is expected 95 per cent of the eligible population will have received two doses of a COVID-19 jab.
Currently, 87.7 per cent of the state’s eligible population aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated, with the state tipped to reach 90 per cent fully vaccinated mark this coming Sunday.
“We want to get to a point where New South Wales is open, one and free, and we believe that the changes we’ve made today will enable that to occur,” New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
“This is a long journey. Our challenges still lie ahead, but our success as a state and being able to open up safely is a testament to everybody in New South Wales who have gone out and made the effort to get vaccinated.”
As such, from 8 November restrictions will ease for fully vaccinated people in NSW including:
- Density limits will shift to one person per two square meters across the board
- Capacity limits will be lifted for all settings except for gym classes which will stay at 20 people per class
- Visitors to homes will be uncapped
- Outdoor gatherings can increase, but gatherings of more than 1,000 will need a COVID Safe plan in place
- Indoor pools can reopen for all purposes
- Amusement parks and play centres can reopen
- Major events and stadiums can have 100 per cent capacity
- Despite the changes, indoor mask wearing will still be mandatory until 15 December.
“I really extend my appreciation to the community for understanding that this is a really important risk mitigation strategy for indoor settings,” NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
The news comes as NSW recorded 173 new COVID-19 cases overnight and four deaths attributed to the coronavirus.
Updated at 11.06am AEDT on 2 November 2021.
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