Singing and dancing are back, and mask rules are set to relax as the NSW government announces a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Premier Dominic Perrottet made the announcement today, with the new mask mandates coming into effect from February 25. From this time, masks will no longer be mandatory indoors — only in high-risk settings such as public transport, hospitals and aged care facilities.

Perrottet said the changes were only possible due to “the substantial efforts” of the people of the state.

Nonetheless, the premier still urged people consider the use of masks indoors, particularly in situations where social distancing could be problematic.

“Mask use will still be encouraged in indoor settings and in customer-facing retail to protect vulnerable people that may need to access these services,” Perrottet said

From Friday, 18 February 2022, density rules will also be lifted for all venues, and QR codes will only be required for nightclubs and music festivals.

Work from home orders changed

The work from home directive has also been lifted from Friday, 18 February 2022, with working from home now at the employer’s discretion.

The premier said he would work with the public service over the next week on bringing employees back to the office, and he expects other employers to do the same.

“We understand masks are an impediment to returning to the office. Here in NSW, we will be working with our public service over the course of the next week. Our expectation is that employers across the state will also follow that direction with their employees.”

Perrottet said the directive came out of discussions at the Sydney Summit last week – but stated nonetheless, “these changes are measured and proportionate and particularly due to the efforts of everyone across our state”.

Don’t expect the virus to go away

The premier said high vaccination rates and the sacrifices of the community has allowed the state to move forward towards the end of restrictions, but people should still expect case numbers to fluctuate.

“From time to time we will see cases increase and decrease. And the reality is, as we move forward, the likelihood is we will have spikes in cases from time to time. That is the reality of living alongside the virus. We know as we head into the winter months more challenges will come our way, but the changes to settings are proportionate to the circumstances we find ourselves.

“Two years ago we lost 300,000 jobs in our state and today we have recovered every single one of them, plus 30,000 more. We have been able to do this because of our strong vaccination rates. But we still need to get our booster rates up. This pandemic is not over. What is very clear is vaccinations and boosters keep people safe.”

What restrictions will ease

From 18 February 2022:

• 2 square metre density limit removed.
• QR code check-ins only required at nightclubs and large music festivals. Hospital, aged care and disability facilities will continue to use their existing systems, as appropriate..
• Singing and dancing permitted at all venues except music festivals.
• Recommendation of working from home will change to the employer’s discretion.

From next Friday, 25 February 2022:

• Masks will only be mandated on public transport, planes and indoors at airports, hospitals, aged and disability care facilities, correctional facilities and indoor musical festivals with more than 1,000 people.
• Masks will continue to be encouraged indoors where physical distancing is not possible, and for customer service staff.
• Singing and dancing permitted at all music festivals.

This post first appeared on Kochie’s Business Builders. You can read the original here

Join the soloist movement. Whether you are new to Flying Solo or looking to grow your business, our membership options will help you attract more leads, grow your network and sharpen your business skills.  Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest news and advice straight to your inbox.