NSW has been granted a further easing of restrictions from today, Monday 8 November as the Premier brings forward a range of new measures that were intended to be triggered on December 1.
Notably, nightclubs are now allowed to reopen with dancing while there are no longer limits on the number of visitors you can have in your home.
Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the relaxed restrictions last week by saying that the increasing freedoms are in response to the state’s rapidly rising vaccination level. as NSW edges closer to 90% double dose vaccination for those over the age of 16.
“Everybody has done an incredible job to ensure NSW can ease restrictions in a safe and considered way earlier than we planned,” Perrottet said last week.
“We are on track to reach 90% double vaccination weeks ahead of schedule and this is a testament to everybody across NSW and especially our health workers”.
Currently, NSW is at 89.3% double dose vaccination and 93.9% for single dose. Many of the restrictions planned to be relaxed on December 1 were aligned with predictions for when the state would hit 90%.
As the state is set to reach that milestone almost a full month ahead of schedule, here’s all the new freedoms we’ll be granted.
NSW COVD Roadmap Updated
From today, November 8, there will be no limit on visitors to a home, no rules for outdoor gatherings of less than 1,000 people, and indoor swimming pools will re-open for all purposes.
Indoor pools have so far only been open for lessons but will now be free to use for everyone.
All businesses will move to the one person per two square metre rule, doubling the indoor density from the previous one person per four square metres.
Nightclubs, which are currently only open for seated drinking, will be back in action with dancing allowed.
Already, the city’s nightclubs, like the infamous Club 77 in Darlinghurst, opened their doors at 12:01 this morning to celebrate the new found freedoms.
Going forward, no indoor or outdoor venue will have a capacity cap except for the one per four square metre rule.
Recreational venues like cinemas, stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos will return to 100% capacity as long as they comply with the density limits.
However, the 20 person cap will remain on gym classes and dance classes and the current rules for mask-wearing will stay until the state reaches 95% double dose vaccination or December 15, whichever comes first.
Perrottet stressed that these new measures were only for those who are fully vaccinated and that the freedoms which were going to be granted to the unvaccinated on December 1 will now be pushed back to December 1.
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