Overview
NSW's strict rules surrounding social distancing and public gatherings will be assessed on a month-by-month basis and could be relaxed as early next month, Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed in a press conference this morning, Wednesday, April 8.
With the number of new COVID-19 cases levelling— there were 48 new cases in the past 24 hours, compared to 49 the 24 hours before that (the lowest since March 19) — and the total number of confirmed cases beginning to stabilise, the Premier said that "there could be a chance, if the health experts deem it appropriate for us, to look at some relaxations".
While the Premier made it clear that "social distancing will be a part of our lives until there is a vaccine", she also said that restrictions could be relaxed in the next month. Responding to a question about restrictions being relaxed as early as May 1, the Premier said "If the [health] advice in a couple of weeks is that there might be a couple of aspects that we can tweak to provide relief to our citizens, well then, we'll take that advice."
Destination NSW
The Premier acknowledged that the restrictions are "hard" and are having an impact on Sydneysiders' mental health and businesses, but also said that "every time you relax a restriction, more people will get sick. More people will die."
For the time being, and over the Easter long weekend, the social distancing and two-person public gathering restrictions remain in place, with maximum penalties of $11,000 and six months in jail for those who flout the rules. At the moment, you can only leave your home for one of four reasons: shopping for what you need; for medical care or compassionate reasons; to exercise, in-line with the new two-person limit; and for work or education if you cannot work or learn remotely.
Fines for disobeying these regulations have already been handed out to hundreds of Sydneysiders — you can read more about some of them here.
To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Image: Kimberley Low