At its crisis cabinet meeting on the afternoon of July 27, the NSW government finally agreed to implement a singles bubble in the state, allowing much-needed social contact for isolated individuals living alone under lockdown. The decision was part of discussions ahead of an anxiously awaited press conference on July 28, at which the premier is expected to announce an extension to the lockdown and potentially more restrictions to bring the ongoing Greater Sydney outbreak of Delta under control. Full details of how the singles bubble will be implemented is expected to be part of that press briefing’s announcements.
Lockdown is a tough time for everyone, but it’s especially gruelling for single people living on their own. Under the current lockdown rules, the only inter-household socialising allowed is outdoor exercise in groups of no more than two people and intimate partner visits. However, these provisions leave single people isolated from regular social contact, something that is essential to maintaining a person’s mental health and wellbeing.
In many other places around the world, and closer to home in Melbourne and South Australia, singles bubbles have been part of the lockdown architecture. This allows single people to establish a Covid-safe arrangement with another person, essentially allowing those two people to be considered a single household without them having to live under the same roof. This isn’t an indiscriminate pass for single people to visit any household they want, but rather a way to safely allow social contact between two people in a way that mitigates the risk of community transmission.
How the social bubble will work in NSW is yet to be fully announced. In Victoria, for example, the singles bubble rules are only for people who live alone, who are a single parent with children under 18, or a single person who is a carer for a person with disability or an illness over the age of 18. You can only establish a social bubble with one other single person, who must be mutually committed to maintaining that social bubble. You cannot visit a household if more than that one nominated person is present (unless they are children under 18). You also cannot swap to a new person once you commit to a social bubble, and neither can the person you’re in that bubble with.