From midnight tonight, people entering from QLD and ACT will no longer need to complete a declaration form on entry into NSW or have to follow stay-at-home rules on arrival.
The change comes after NSW hit 70% full dose vaccinations last week and lockdown restrictions in the state have started to lift. Previously, the ACT was considered an area of concern, but will now be subject to the same rules as NSW when entering the state as they come out lockdown.
“ACT residents will be subject to the same rules as people in NSW. People who live in regional LGAs can travel anywhere in regional NSW but cannot enter Greater Sydney without a reasonable excuse. People cannot leave Greater Sydney except with a reasonable excuse. Holidays and outdoor recreation are not reasonable excuses,” NSW Health said in a statement on Thursday.
Statement from NSW Health: pic.twitter.com/uHpuz8yT5r
— Nour Haydar (@NourHaydar) October 14, 2021
Those who are fully vaccinated in NSW will now be able to have five visitors to their home, can go to gyms, hairdressers, retail stores, nail salons and can have outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people.
“Let’s not think about this as a freedom day,” former Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a few weeks ago.
“But let’s think about this as a sustained reopening to getting back to normal but there is no doubt that for those of us who are fully vaccinated that the 70% double dose life will feel so much better.”
When the state hits 80%, drinking while standing will be allowed indoors and there will be no customer caps on person services like hairdressers, tattoo studios etc.
From December 1, everyone in NSW regardless of vax status, will be given even more freedoms.
- No limit on home visitors.
- No limit on outdoor gatherings.
- One person per 2 sqm for indoor and outdoor settings.
- Nightclubs will open one person per 4 sqm.
- Work from home becomes at employer’s discretion.
- Regional travel will become available to all.
- Masks are mandatory for public transport, in airports and on planes, and for front-of-house hospitality staff, but no longer required when outdoors.
Exciting stuff.
