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Pubs and gyms among first freedoms as NSW outlines plans out of lockdown

Fully vaccinated Sydneysiders will be able to enjoy a drink in a pub by the end of October and some parts of NSW will have restrictions eased within days as the state government reveals its plans to emerge from the extended Delta lockdown.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian will today deliver the long-awaited COVID-19 recovery road map outlining the first freedoms granted to NSW when the state reaches its 70 per cent double dose vaccination target, which is expected to happen in less than six weeks.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian will outline NSW’s long-awaited COVID-19 recovery plan today.Credit:James Brickwood

The first areas to emerge from lockdown are expected to be in the regions with the Riverina, New England and North Coast set to have all restrictions eased as early as Friday.

In Sydney, the first stage of the road map, which was approved by the state’s crisis cabinet on Wednesday afternoon, will allow gyms, hairdressers, restaurants, cafes and pubs to reopen at reduced capacities.

Read more about NSW’s plans here.

Tenfold rise in COVID cases will drive Victorian emergency wards to brink, officials fear

Victoria is predicted to have 18,000 active COVID-19 cases and 800 people in hospital by mid-October, prompting health officials to warn that not enough specialist intensive-care staff are available to cope if infections surge once restrictions ease.

With most regional Victorians expected to come out of lockdown at midnight on Thursday and Melburnians hoping for some easing of restrictions this month, Health Department data has fuelled concerns about the ability of hospitals to deal with an influx of gravely ill patients.

A paediatric nurse helps prepare extra beds at the Monash Medical Centre on Wednesday.Credit:Jason South

According to a health official who was not authorised to speak publicly, finding nurses and other health professionals to staff intensive-care beds for the rising number of COVID-19 patients would be the greatest barrier to the state’s response to a surge in cases.

More on this story here.

Ban on Australians leaving the country will be dropped as early as November

A federal ban on Australians leaving the country will be dropped as soon as November under plans to ease travel restrictions and embrace a “vaccine passport” so travellers can prove they are allowed to cross international borders.

The plan could be announced within days after federal cabinet discussed the changes on Wednesday night in another step toward a travel pass linked to the Australian Immunisation Record that people can download to their phones after being fully vaccinated.

Australians could be allowed to leave the country as early as November.Credit:Jason South

While Australians have been forced to seek permission from the Department of Home Affairs to leave the country during the pandemic, federal ministers want to dismantle the restriction as soon as the vaccination rate reaches 80 per cent of people aged 16 and over.

Read the full story here.

This morning’s headlines at a glance

Good morning and thanks for company.

It’s Thursday, September 9. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.

Here’s everything you need to know before we get started.

• NSW pubs and gyms are expected to reopen for the fully vaccinated by the end of next month. Premier Gladys Berejiklian will unveil her state’s COVID-19 recovery plan later this morning. Under the roadmap, some regional areas – such as the Riverina region in southern NSW – could take the first tentative steps out of lockdown in just a few days. NSW reported 1480 new coronavirus infections yesterday.
• Stay-at-home orders will ease for most of regional Victoria tonight. Hospitality and retail will return, along with small weddings and funerals, except in Shepparton (in the state’s north) due to a lingering COVID cluster. However, masks will remain mandatory indoors and outdoors. A home quarantine trial will also begin tomorrow for some stuck on the NSW-Victoria border. Victoria recorded 221 new infections yesterday.
• Health Minister Greg Hunt is defending his government after emails obtained under freedom-of-information laws reveal he did not accept an invitation for a detailed, formal meeting with Pfizer’s top executives as other countries were already on track to sign deals for millions of doses of vaccine.
• The ACT recorded 20 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The territory is in lockdown until at least the end of next week. There were no new cases in Queensland or WA yesterday. But overseas, New Zealand recorded 15 new cases (all in Auckland).

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