Melbourne, Oct 10 (BUS): Sydney is set to reopen after months of lockdown, as businesses read themselves to welcome fully vaccinated residents from Monday, officials said on Sunday.
New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reported 477 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Sunday, in an outbreak that shut down 5 million people in the state capital Sydney for 100 days.
State Premier Dominic Perrottet said that with the state reaching the threshold of 70% of its population fully vaccinated, NSW was ready to ease some restrictions and reopen many businesses.
“It’s a great day for our state and for everyone in New South Wales: I’ve won it,” Perrottet said. “It’s been a hundred days of blood, sweat, and no beer, but we’re getting it back to work tomorrow.”
When asked about the first thing he does on Monday, Beirut said, “I’m going to cut my hair.”
Local media reported that beauty and hair salons are fully booked for the coming weeks.
“We’ve extended their days and opened extra times in their diaries so we can book our clients as soon as possible,” Joseph Heckick, who runs several All Saints Skin Clinics in Sydney according to the Sydney Morning Heraldm, told Reuters.
But many social distancing restrictions, and restrictions on public gatherings, will remain for weeks, Beirut said.
Neighboring Victoria, whose capital Melbourne has been on lockdown since early August, reported 1,890 new cases and five deaths on Sunday. The state is expected to reopen in late October, once 70% of its residents are fully vaccinated.
The state government said the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most famous horse race, will kick off on November 2 with crowds of up to 10,000 people.
“We will work to normalize this virus,” Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said. “We’re opening up and we’ll be back to do what we do best.”
Nearly 62% of all Australians aged 16 and over have received two doses of the vaccine. Once 80% of eligible Australians are fully vaccinated, the country will gradually begin to reopen its international borders, which have been closed since March 2020.
However, cases of COVID-19 in Australia are still significantly lower than many similar countries, with just over 127,500 infections and 1,432 deaths in a country with a population of less than 26 million.
Neighboring New Zealand, which was largely virus-free until a delta outbreak in mid-August, reported 60 new local cases, up from 34 on Saturday.
HF