Many people were shocked – and some no doubt delighted – when the state’s new premier, Dominic Perrottet, seemingly said YOLO and softened many of the phase one restrictions of Gladys Berejiklian’s original ‘roadmap to freedom’. However, phase two of Perrottet’s roadmap, which will be triggered once 80 per cent of adults are vaccinated in NSW, is set to be more austere than his predecessor's. Regional travel for people living within Greater Sydney was one of the most anxiously awaited freedoms of the phase two plan, but now statewide travel will not be reinstated until November 1. The change to the roadmap was confirmed by Deputy Permier Paul Toole during an interview on 2GB radio on the morning of October 15.
While NSW is leading the country as its most vaccinated state, there are still many regional areas of NSW where vaccine uptake remains relatively low. The extended ban on regional travel beyond Greater Sydney has been fuelled by concerns that the virus could be seeded in those more vulnerable communities by travelers from the Big Smoke.
Sydney seems to be a victim of its own success. Vaccination rates continue to soar, particularly in Metropolitan Sydney, which means NSW has reached the 80 per cent vaccination target a full week ahead of schedule. It was originally projected that 80 per cent freedoms would kick in on October 25, however, phase two of the roadmap is now likely to be implemented from October 18, just seven days after lockdown measures began lifting.
This is not the first issue that has arisen from the state’s speedy vaccination rates. NSW’s vaccine passport technology, which is needed so patrons can declare their vaccination status upon checking in to a business or venue, is yet to be rolled out. Trials are still underway in regional NSW and won’t be concluded until October 20.