September 9, 2021 | By Bronwen Largier | Image: Tourism Australia
Up to 500 people will be able to attend ticketed and seated outdoor events and indoor venues will be able to host up to 75 percent of their fixed seated capacity or one person per four square metres once NSW hits the threshold of having 70 percent of the state’s population aged over 16 fully vaccinated.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian stressed at this morning’s press conference that freedoms granted by the roadmap will only be available to those who are fully vaccinated and that they will be granted on the Monday after NSW reaches the 70 percent threshold.
The measures announced will essentially lift the lockdown for everyone who is fully vaccinated.
Hospitality venues will be allowed to open at a capacity of one person per four square metres inside and one per two square metres outside. Standing while drinking will be permitted in outdoor areas.
Stadiums and major outdoor venues will be able to host up to 5,000 people at one person per four square metres.
There is no specific mention of conference venues so micenet is assuming they will be governed by the rules applying to indoor venues.
Regional travel will be permitted and non-essential retail stores will be open to the fully vaccinated.
Gyms will also reopen with capacity limits and up to five people will be allowed to visit homes where all adults are vaccinated.
“You have been warned, if you’re not vaccinated, come forward and get the vaccine, otherwise you won’t be able to participate in the many freedoms that people have at 70 percent vaccination,” Berejiklian said this morning.
In the nearer future, several areas of regional NSW where there have been no local cases for at least 14 days will come out of lockdown on Saturday, however large swathes of regional NSW will remain in lockdown.
According to the ABC’s vaccine rollout tracker, it is currently estimated that NSW will reach the 70 percent vaccination threshold on October 18, although the Premier warned today that there has been a slowdown in the rollout across the state.
Here’s hoping today’s roadmap will see it pick up pace again, especially as supply increases due to recent Federal Government deals which will see 4.5 million additional Pfizer vaccines available across Australia this month.