Sydney residents cheer loosening of virus controls

Sydney hairdressers, gyms, cafes and bars reopened to fully vaccinated customers on Monday for the first time in more than 100 days after Australia’s largest city achieved a vaccination benchmark.

Sydney planned the reopening after 70% of the New South Wales state population ages 16 and older were fully vaccinated. By Monday, 73.5% of the target population was fully vaccinated and more than 90% have received at least one dose.

Some businesses opened at midnight due to demand from people impatient to enjoy their freedom.

More pandemic restrictions will be removed at the 80% benchmark, and New South Wales residents will be free to travel overseas for the first time since March last year.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said the infection rate and numbers of COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospitals were lower than modeling had predicted.

“So that’s positive and gives hope and confidence as we open up in a measured way we’re in a very good position to keep people safe,” Perrottet said.

While Sydney infections have been trending down in recent weeks, they have yet to peak in Melbourne, Australia’s second-most populous city.

Victoria state, which includes Melbourne, reported 1,612 new infections on Monday and eight deaths.

Sydney’s lockdown began on June 26 and the outbreak of the delta variant spread from Sydney to Melbourne, which has been locked down since Aug. 5, and the national capital Canberra,

which has been locked down since Aug. 12.

Most of the rest of Australia is largely free of COVID-19, although authorities warn that delta cannot be kept out of any state or territory.

Rick Rycroft / Associated Press Barbers in Sydney trim their first costumers in months after a lockdown was lifted for people who are vaccinated. While cases have slowed in Sydney, they have yet to peak in Melbourne.