Gabriel Metcalf, CEO of the Committee for Sydney, said: 

“There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. We can see the path to reopening, and it looks good.

Today’s announcement about what happens at 80% is the news we’ve all been waiting for. We have collectively sacrificed so much, and now we can see that we will get our lives back.

The decision to open up community sport, places of worship and regional travel at 80% is especially welcomed.

It makes all the sense in the world to continue to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated people differently. We support vaccine passports for the foreseeable future, so that people who refuse to get vaccinated don’t harm others.

NSW has been making up for lost time on its vaccination drive, and before this is over we are going to be among the leaders in the world in terms of vaccination rates. That is a testament to the community stepping up to do the right thing once vaccines became widely available.”