October 11 has been circled on the calendars of fully vaccinated people in NSW since it was named by the former premier Gladys Berejiklian as the date lockdown restrictions could begin easing. However, following Berejiklian’s resignation in the wake of corruption allegations and an ICAC investigation, it was unclear if the reopening strategy would be upheld by her successor.
On Tuesday, October 5, the state’s new premier, former treasurer Dominic Perrottet, was confirmed by the NSW parliament, and now it seems he may tweak the reopening plans he inherited. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Perrottet suggested the reopening date – sometimes referred to as ‘Freedom Day’ – could be brought forward to October 8. The state is set to reach the 70 per cent fully vaccinated target by Wednesday, October 6, and 90 per cent of adults over 16 in the state will have received at least one dose of a vaccine by October 7.
Daily cases have been steadily decreasing over the past week, the state recording 608 new cases on October 5 – the lowest daily tally since August 16.
However, at a press conference following his parliamentary confirmation, Perrottot said that he would continue to follow the three-phase plan to reopen the state, although he hinted that he would be discussing the possibility of reopening sooner following a meeting with health minister Brad Hazzard and the NSW Health team on the afternoon of October 5. Perrottet said as a former treasurer, he was acutely aware of the economic imperative of reopening in a safe and sustainable way, adding that (beyond the appointment of a new deputy premier, Stuart Ayres) there would be no cabinet reshuffle until lockdown had been completely lifted and some degree of normal life restored.