Australia news LIVE NSW Premier brings forward changes to state roadmap schools to return end of October Victoria records 1638 new local COVID-19 cases two deaths
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NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has clarified that there will be no vaccination requirements for children when students return to classrooms later this month.
However, teachers will be required to wear a mask even after the state hits 80 per cent vaccination of its 16 and over population, at which point masks will no longer be mandatory in office buildings.
Teachers will also need to be fully vaccinated. Ms Mitchell said a priority week of vaccinations would be held from October 17 for teachers who needed a second appointment in order to return to the classroom, noting they had known for “several weeks†they would need to get a shot.
Children aged 12 to 15 only became eligible for vaccination on September 13. Many are receiving the Moderna vaccine, which has two doses administered four weeks apart.
While some private schools have asked parents to say who is vaccinated and who is not, Ms Mitchell said that would not occur in NSW state schools.
“We haven’t made vaccinations mandatory for our students: education is a right for each and every child in NSW and a student should not be denied their education on the basis of a choice their parent might make,†she said.
The principal of an independent primary school in Melbourne’s north who repeatedly invited parents to send their children to school while the city was in lockdown has had his teaching registration suspended over concerns he poses a risk to children.
The Victorian Institute of Teaching suspended Fitzroy Community School principal Timothy Berryman’s teaching registration on an interim basis on Wednesday, pending an investigation.
The regulator is the third authority to probe child safety standards at the small alternative school that Mr Berryman runs since this masthead revealed its repeated breaches of public-health orders last month.
More than 60 students, staff and family members were infected with COVID-19 as a result of an outbreak at the school’s Fitzroy North campus last month.
Read the full story here.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says he will not put a date on when NSW will reopen with its 80 per cent vaccination target restrictions.
Today, the Premier has announced some changes to what fully vaccinated people in NSW will be able to do when the state has 80 per cent of its population aged 16 and over double-dosed â€" a target projected to be hit in late October.
At this stage of restrictions, people will now be able to have 20 people to their home (up from 10) as well as gather outside in groups of 50 (up from 20). Masks will not be required in office buildings, and nightclubs will also be able to reopen â€" however with no dancing or drinking while standing up.
Mr Perrottet said the change to nightclubs was more of a “tidy-up†change, to allow nightclubs to operate as bars before restrictions were further eased on December 1.
The Premier said the changes to the road map were not because he was unhappy with the work of his predecessor, Gladys Berejiklian.
“Where we are today ... looking at where the case numbers were, the fact the vaccination rate was at 70 per cent, it gave me an opportunity to reflect on it, to sit down with the Health Minister, which I have done over the last 48 hours, and I think the changes that we have made today are very sensible and make sense,†he said.
Asked for an update on NSW’s vaccination passport app â€" seemingly not ready in time for Monday’s easing of restrictions in line with the 70 per cent stage of the road map â€" Mr Perrottet said there would be “further updates†provided this week.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has faced a number of questions about who was invited to today’s press conference: for the first time in a significant period, the update today is being held without a representative from NSW Health present.
NSW Health will hold its own COVID-19 update via livestream at 11am.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced a number of changes to the state’s COVID-19 reopening road map. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Mr Perrottet said he met “for some time†with NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and Health Minister Brad Hazzard yesterday and had “a great relationship†with the state’s most senior health official.
When a reporter asked Mr Perrottet why a representative was not present given it is a health crisis, the new premier replied: “Well, it’s also an economic crisis as well.
“We’re the elected officials,†he said, justifying this morning’s all-minister press conference line-up.
Asked if the ministry’s public health team approved of the doubling of caps household gatherings, weddings and funerals as of next week from what was initially announced, Mr Hazzard said “of course†they did.
“We wouldn’t be doing anything if it wasn’t [approved],†he said.
As reported earlier this morning, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has brought forward the return of some grades to school, resulting in all children being allowed to return to classrooms by October 25.
This is the second time the road map for returning children to school has been brought forward.
Under the new plan, children in kindergarten, years 1, 2 and 12 will return to school on October 18 and then all remaining grades will go back to school on October 25.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the adjustment reflected that “the best learning environment for our children is in the classroom with their teachers and with their friendsâ€.
“As a parent myself, I know how hard it is when your children are learning from home. So we have always wanted to do whatever we could to have our students back,†she said.
The Education Minister said the decision to return younger students to school first, alongside year 12s, reflected that some of the state’s “littlest learners†would need to reintroduce themselves to school processes.
Ms Mitchell said, as of 10pm last night, 45,000 Department of Education teachers had reported being fully vaccinated.
“Those numbers will grow in the coming days as that data is collated,†she said.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says NSW has recorded 587 new local cases today from 112,186 tests.
Mr Hazzard said the full suite of today’s figures would be announced at 11am.
From next week, the NSW numbers will be released at 9am.
“The numbers are continuing to go down, but we mustn’t take this for granted. If you haven’t been vaccinated now, you’re in the minority, but you do need to go and get vaccinated because that is what will keep our state safe,†he said.
Workers in hospitality, gyms and retail stores in regional NSW will be able to return to work after receiving just one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine next week, Deputy Premier Paul Toole has announced.
In Greater Sydney, workers in these industries will still need to be fully vaccinated. Greater Sydney includes metropolitan Sydney, as well as the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong.
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole. Credit:James Brickwood
These regional workers will need to be fully vaccinated by November 1.
“This has been done because in some areas it was difficult to be able to get vaccines,†Mr Toole said.
Patrons of these businesses will presumably still need to be fully vaccinated, as was dictated in the original road map for easing restrictions at 70 per cent full vaccination in NSW.
The number of fully vaccinated people allowed at household gatherings, weddings and funerals in NSW on Monday will be double what was initially promised, after Premier Dominic Perrottet announced adjustments to the state’s road map.
The changes mean 10 visitors will be able to enter a home and weddings and funerals of 100 people will be able to be held.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Credit:James Brickwood
In addition, all children will return to school by October 25. The original return of some grades will remain in place for October 18, but remaining grades will now return the following week.
“That’s great for kids; it’s a major relief for parents and their sanity,†Mr Perrottet, who has six children, said, thanking teachers for coming forward for vaccination.
The latest data reveals 70.3 per cent of people in NSW aged 16 and over have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday night, allowing for the easing of restrictions next week.
“We have always said that vaccination is the key to our freedom and the sacrifices and the effort of people right across NSW have ensured that we can open up as quickly and safely as possible,†the former treasurer said.
“We know that this is not just a health crisis, it’s an economic crisis, too, and NSW has been incredibly successful.â€
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is holding a press conference from 9am AEDT to discuss his state’s road map out of lockdown.
He will be joined by Deputy Premier Paul Toole, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, deputy NSW Liberal leader Stuart Ayres and Education Minister Sarah Mitchell.
Watch live below.
Victoria’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The state has recorded 1638 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and two deaths. It’s the country’s second-highest daily tally on record.
The Department of Health has not said how many cases are linked to known outbreaks or how many people were isolating while infectious.
Zero cases were detected in hotel quarantine.
There are now 15,074 active cases of coronavirus across the state.
Today’s numbers are off the back of yesterday’s 77,238 coronavirus tests.
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