So we CAN get a haircut? NSW to ‘trial’ reopening of hairdressers as part of experiment to see how lockdown easing goes when 70 per cent jab rate is reached

Hairdressers in NSW are set to re-open for residents who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of a trial to prepare for wider restriction easing when 70 per cent of the state has had both doses.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian did not announce the re-opening of hairdressers and salons as expected on Thursday - instead easing gathering limits for the fully vaccinated in relatively virus-free areas of the state from September 13.  

But she is also considering trialing industries where both customers and staff are vaccinated to prepare for a larger reopening of the hospitality industry in October.

Those small-scale 'trials' are expected to be a litmus test for the wide-scale easing of hospitality capacity limits as long as they aren't linked to high levels of transmission.

Hairdressers in NSW are set to re-open for residents who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of a trial to prepare for wider restriction easing. Pictured is a hair salon in Melbourne during the pandemic

The trial will prepare NSW for wider restriction easing when 70 per cent of the state has had both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Pictured is a masked resident in the Campbelltown LGA on Thursday

NSW reported 1,029 local cases of Covid-19 and three deaths from the virus on Thursday - a record spike in cases in any Australian state or territory in the pandemic.

But the state leader flagged October 18 as the day when her state will reach a 70 per cent inoculation rate, triggering a further easing of lockdown measures.

Ms Berejiklian has rallied industries, including pubs and restaurants, to prepare for the mid-October date, which is seven weeks away. 

In the meantime, health officials are still concerned about the virus circulating in the community, with just 33 per cent of people fully-vaccinated and regional areas particularly at risk. 

Petrol stations, takeaways and supermarkets are the latest venues of concern - with eight new exposure sites revealed in areas outside Sydney following the announcement of a lockdown extension for regional NSW until at least September 10. 

An Officeworks and a Domino's pizza store in Dubbo were among the list, after 25 cases of the virus were detected in the area on Thursday. 

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday announced an easing of gathering limits for the fully vaccinated in relatively virus-free areas of the state from September 13

Greater freedoms are on their way for vaccinated residents in NSW with the government earmarking a date of October 18 for the state's reopening (pictured, masked Sydneysiders in lockdown)

A Woolworths in Wellington was exposed to Covid nine times from August 15 to August 23

LATEST NSW COVID EXPOSURE SITES 

Anyone who attended this venue is casual contact and must self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

Windale: Windale Takeaway - Saturday August 21, 5:35pm to 5:45pm

Wellington: Metro Petroleum -  Sunday August 22, 10:30am to 10:40am

Wellington: Coles -  Sunday August 22, 9:20am to 10:15am 

Dubbo: Officeworks - Wednesday August 18, 4:45pm to 5pm

Dubbo: Dominos Pizza - Wednesday August 18, 6:55pm to 7:10pm 

Berkeley: Coles - Saturday August 21, 11:10am to 11:25am 

Orange: 7-Eleven Molong Road -  Saturday August 21, 2pm to 10pm, Friday August 20, 2pm to 10pm

Orange: 7-Eleven Bathurst Road - Saturday August 21, 7am to 3:15pm 

 

 

More casual contact venues were also identified at a petrol station and a Coles in Wellington after a Woolworths in the central-western town issued nine Covid-19 alerts from August 15 to August 23. 

All shoppers who visited the exposure sites at the listed times must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.   

Health bosses are now only publicly listing exposure sites outside of Greater Sydney, as they claim they pose a 'greater risk' to the regional communities. 

Greater freedoms for vaccinated Australians will meanwhile be granted in the coming weeks as the state plans its roadmap out of the relentless lockdown.

More than 80 per cent of Thursday's new cases were found in west and south-west Sydney (pictured, shoppers in Ashfield in the city's inner-west)

Outdoor gatherings of up to five immunised people living outside of LGAs of concern are permitted from September 13, including an extra hour of outdoor recreational activity for vaccinated residents in hotspots. 

While the government admitted a jump to 80 per cent vaccination rate was difficult, they were confident 70 per cent is a more realistic target.

Ms Berejiklian said she was committed to giving people freedom despite sky-rocketing case numbers.

'We're a government that assesses the risk but also assesses our wish to live with this virus,' she said.

'We know that people coming together is what people miss the most.' 

'From the various options we looked at, that was the option that met the mental health needs and wellbeing of our community, but also provided the lowest-risk setting.'