Sydney was set to reopen after months in lockdown, officials said, with businesses reading themselves to welcome fully vaccinated residents from Monday.

New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, reported 477 new coronavirus cases and six deaths on Sunday, in an outbreak that has kept five million people in state capital Sydney in a lockdown for 100 days.

But as the state has met the threshold of 70 per cent of its people fully vaccinated, New South Wales was ready to ease some restrictions and reopen many businesses, said state Premier Dominic Perrottet.

“It's a big day for our state, and to everyone across the New South Wales: you've earned it,” Perrottet said. “It's been a hundred days of blood, sweat, no beers, but we've got it back in action tomorrow.”

Medical staff walk past the emergency entrance at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne on October 9. — AFP
Medical staff walk past the emergency entrance at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne on October 9. — AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...