NSW is getting a lot closer to “freedom day”, with new data suggesting that NSW could potentially hit 70 percent of fully vaccinated eligible residents which means that ‘freedom day’ can possibly come a week earlier than what was originally predicted.
The government had originally planned the reopening of NSW for Monday, October 18, however, with vaccination rates remaining stable and consistent, the government now considers Monday, October 11 a real possibility according to 7NEWS.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters that “we’re feeling more and more confident that the dates we’ve previously assumed we might hit that double dose figure could actually be earlier,” as NSW reached the 80 percent first-dose vaccination milestone. NSW has taken the lead in the race to vaccinate Australia with more than 80 percent of the population aged 16 and older now have received at least one dose.
That said, Berejiklian made it clear that the government would stand firm and ban the unvaccinated from ‘restored freedoms’ at 70 percent – they will only be able to access “critical retail” such as supermarkets.
“At 70 percent we’ve been clear and extremely black and white… it will be a health order and the law that if you’re not vaccinated, you can’t attend venues on the road map,” she further said.
“We are going through compliance issues now (but) there is an onus on you as an individual to be vaccinated and it will depend on the size of the business … we know many small businesses are doing it tough so we are going through that compliance regime now.
“If you’re not vaccinated, you can’t go to a restaurant, to a cafe.”
7NEWS further confirms that the government is currently working on potential penalties for business owners, staff, and customers who decide not to comply with the issued vaccine requirements.
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