Greater Sydney residents will not be able to travel to regional NSW once the state reaches the 80 per cent double vaccination target. This is despite earlier promises from the NSW government.
Travel between Greater Sydney – that includes the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast – and Regional NSW will be permitted from 1 November.
The announcement comes as NSW prepares to reach the 80 per cent double dose target by early next week.
The postponement will allow more people in regional communities to get their second vaccination.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said it was a tough decision to make.
“Everyone has done a brilliant job of getting vaccinated and rates are rising fast. However we have looked at the health modelling and listened to feedback from regional communities who want more time to get their double dose vaccination rates up as high as possible before they welcome back visitors,” Mr Toole said.
By 1 November more than 77 per cent of regional LGAs will be fully vaccinated.
“We know businesses in regional NSW were getting ready to welcome people back, but it’s important we get this right so that we can have greater confidence the vaccines will do their job”
In response to the delay the NSW Government will defer the second taper of the JobSaver progam until 21 October. This is to support regional business who will be impacted by this change. Eligible businesses will receive 30 per cent of their weekly payroll. From 1 November the government will reduce the payments to 15 per cent.
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