SYDNEY, Oct 13 (BNA): New South Wales may ease more restrictions in Sydney a week earlier than scheduled Oct. 18, as Australia’s most populous states race toward an 80% double-dose vaccination target, the government said on Wednesday. .
The southeastern state is expected to hit the target over the weekend, exceeding expectations and officials previously promising to loosen more restrictions on vaccinated residents on the first Monday after that milestone is reached.
“If we get to 80%, we always said it would be the following Monday,” state Premier Dominic Perot told ABC Radio. “We will have this discussion with our team on Thursday and we will make a decision to be announced on Friday,” according to Reuters.
Retail stores, bars and gyms can allow more patrons to be vaccinated when inoculation reaches 80%. Compulsory masks will not be required inside offices and nightclubs can reopen for seated drinking, while weddings can have an unlimited number of guests.
More than 5 million Sydney residents emerged from a nearly four-month lockdown on Monday after the 70% vaccination target was reached, as state officials promised to gradually ease remaining restrictions after vaccination rates reached 80% and 90%.
The New South Wales government has warned that infections will increase as its doors reopen, but it has ignored warnings by some health experts that hospitals could be overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases under Perrotate’s strategy to live with the virus.
Daily infections in New South Wales rose to 444 on Wednesday, up from 360 the day before, but well below the pandemic’s high of 1,599 in early September.
Australia is in the grip of a third wave of infections fueled by the Delta version that hit Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities, and the capital, Canberra.
Canberra’s 400,000 residents will emerge from lockdown on Friday as the first-dose vaccination rate topped 95%, one of the highest among regional capitals in Australia.
Victoria, which includes Melbourne, suffered one of the deadliest days in the Delta outbreak on Wednesday with 13 deaths. It reported 1,571 new infections, up from 1,466 on Tuesday.
Even with the outbreak in the Delta region, Australia has managed to keep coronavirus numbers relatively low, with about 133,400 cases and 1,478 deaths.
HF