Coronavirus: Sydney to lift curfew as infections stabilise, vaccination rates surge
- Australia’s biggest city has been in lockdown for nearly three months, but cases are stable at about 1,300 a day and 80 per cent have received one dose
- Elsewhere, Japan’s top Covid-19 adviser said he is wary of easing restrictions too soon, while Indonesia aims to open its borders to foreigners in November
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the 9pm to 5am curfew for virus hotspots would be lifted from Wednesday, in what Sydney residents hope signals the beginning of the end of a long lockdown.
Infection rates appear to have plateaued at around 1,300 a day and 80 per cent of people in Australia’s most populous state have received at least one vaccine dose.
“We’ve seen a stabilisation in the last few days,” said state premier Berejiklian, while urging residents to continue to be vigilant and respect stay-at-home orders. “We don’t want to see that trend go the wrong way.”
Most Sydney residents can only leave home to buy food, exercise outdoors or seek medical treatment. Schools, bars, restaurants and offices have been closed since late June and residents are not allowed more than 5km (3 miles) from their homes.
Berejiklian has said many restrictions will lift when 70 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, sometime in October. “We know it’s been a struggle but there are only a few weeks left before we get to 70 per cent double dose,” she said.
An 18-month-old ban on Australians leaving the country is set to expire in mid-December, raising the prospect that international travel could also resume.