Sydney gets 'blueprint for freedom' as virus cases fallVaccinated Sydney residents will finally emerge from a lengthy Covid lockdown by mid-October, officials have saidSYDNEY - Vaccinated Sydney residents will finally emerge from a lengthy Covid lockdown by mid-October, Australian officials said Monday, outlining a "blueprint for freedom" as case numbers fell in the city. Stay-at-home orders are set to be lifted in Sydney and surrounding New South Wales when the double-dose vaccination rate hits 70 percent, with state premier Gladys Berejiklian saying "quite confidently" that was now expected to occur on October 11. Deputy premier John Barilaro said the "blueprint for freedom" would allow travel across New South Wales once 80 percent of over-16s are fully vaccinated, which is likely by the end of October. However, unvaccinated adults will need to wait until at least December 1 to enjoy the same freedoms, when it is predicted that around 90 percent of the eligible population will be vaccinated, officials said. About 400,000 people in the nation's capital have been under lockdown since mid-August as officials struggled to quash a small but sustained virus outbreak.

Source: Bangkok Post September 27, 2021 02:37 UTC