NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced this morning that New South Wales will be easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions ever-so-slightly, following in the footsteps of both Queensland and Western Australia.
Despite the state having easily the highest number of recorded and still-active coronavirus cases in the country, Premier Berejiklian announced that, as of May 1st (aka this coming Friday), some of the strict lockdown restrictions will be rolled back in a bid to boost the population’s morale and ease the strain on mental health.
From Friday, groups of two adults will be able to go visit “anybody else” in their home, removing the previous social distancing restrictions which limited social gatherings to just two people per house.
Speaking to media early this morning, Berejiklian stated “Two adults will be able to go and visit anybody else in their home on the basis of care, on the basis of [resuming] socialisation and everybody’s mental health.”
That new limit does not have any provisos, meaning two adults can pop around to your sharehouse for a big session on the tins, should they wish to.
Berejiklian further clarified that the “adults” part of it does not include children, meaning a family of four can now travel freely and visit whoever they want.
“Two adults can go and visit anyone else — and I’ve used the word “adults” to say obviously if you have young children, it’s OK to take them with you,” Berejiklian stated.
Berejiklian acknowledged the strain that remaining isolated in homes for weeks on end has put on people, saying “We know that for many people, they’ve been cooped up in their homes for a number of weeks, and with the exception of exercising, medical needs or buying what they need to or going to work, many people have been isolated in their homes.”
The NSW announcement follows on from similar restriction relaxation announcements in both Western Australia and Queensland. Other states remain reluctant to relax restriction conditions. Victoria in particular remains adamant lockdowns in the state will remain active in the state until the current State of Emergency order expires on May 11th.
