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On Monday, people in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, ignored the gray sky and drizzle to celebrate the end of Monday’s nearly four-month lockdown, as vaccinated people were once again allowed to have haircuts and could go to cafes, restaurants and shops.
More than 5 million residents of the city were locked down for 106 days as the authorities tried to contain the spread of the highly spread delta virus.
With the decline in new infections-New South Wales recorded 496 cases on Monday-and more than 70% of people over the age of 16 have been vaccinated, the city is now reopening.
Cafes and restaurants opened their doors to anyone who could prove they had been vaccinated, including Peter Morgan, one of those who enjoyed the newly regained freedom.
The 35-year-old told AFP: “Even if it’s cold outside, it’s fine.” “It’s these little things that offset a lot of the pressure like being locked up.”
Diners headed to a cafe in Bronte, a suburb of Sydney, because the long-term lockdown was lifted for fully vaccinated people [Joel Carrett/EPA]
The lockdown of the city was relaxed, allowing some people to cut their hair for the first time in more than 100 days [Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]Television screens and social media images showed that some bars opened at 12:01 a.m. (13:01 GMT), with friends and family huddling together for a midnight beer.
Since June, shops, schools, salons and offices have been closed to non-essential workers, and Australians’ personal freedom has been unprecedentedly restricted, prohibiting people from leaving their homes or visiting their families for more than 5 kilometers (3 miles).
“I think this is a free day, this is a free day,” New South Wales (NSW) Governor Dominic Perrottet told reporters.
For most of the pandemic, Australia successfully suppressed infections through border closures, lockdowns, and active testing and tracking.
But the Delta variant has achieved its “Covid-zero” goal, and Sydney and Melbourne are now shifting their approach to “coexistence with Covid.”
“This is an important day for our state,” Perrotet said.
“After 100 days of blood, sweat and not drinking beer,” he said, “you made it.”
Urge caution
Some restrictions will continue to be effective, including restrictions on mass gatherings and the closure of international borders.
The school will not completely reopen in a few weeks.
The state’s goal is to reach an 80% vaccination rate around late October, when more restrictions will be relaxed. However, people who have not been vaccinated must stay at home until December 1.
People still worry that reopening will cause a surge in cases.
With the lifting of Sydney’s blockade, it is time for hope and optimism. Let us step on this track to reopen it and continue to vaccinate.This is the stage where Australia will soon emerge from being a narrow, terrifying, fortress country
— Tim Soutphommasane (@timsout) October 10, 2021
The Australian Medical Association urged the authorities to pay close attention to developments.
“AMA supports the gradual opening of the economy and relaxation of restrictions, but it is important to observe the impact of each step on transmission and the number of cases,” said the doctor’s body.
“Otherwise, despite the high vaccination rate, New South Wales may still see hospitals completely overwhelmed.”
Australia’s virus-free states, such as Western Australia and Queensland, have much lower vaccination rates, and they are watching what happens when Sydney reopens.
During the pandemic, Australia is far better than many other wealthy countries, keeping the number of coronaviruses relatively low, with 130,000 cases and 1,448 deaths.
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