Che-marie Trigg

It’s been 107 days since Sydney went into lockdown. One hundred and seven days of being separated from our families, leaning into takeaway harder than we ever thought possible, working from home (if we were able) and, if we’re honest, forgetting a little bit what life was like before. But now, it’s over (for the fully vaxxed, at least). Tight restrictions are still in place – find out what you can do here – but once again we can eat in a restaurant, see the family and friends we’ve missed for so long and do once-mundane things, like go to the movie theatre or shop for clothes in person.

Since January 2020, NSW has recorded more than 68,000 cases of Covid-19 and almost 500 deaths. There’s a lot to mourn, and today’s release from lockdown is bittersweet. But it’s been a gruelling road to get here – we’re just five days short of Melbourne’s punishing second lockdown in 2020.

When now-ex-premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that anyone who lived or worked in four local government areas in Sydney (Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney) would go into a one-week lockdown on June 25, few of us thought the entirety of Greater Sydney would end up staying at home for almost four months.

We sat and watched as case numbers continued to rise and rules kept tightening: masks became mandatory whenever you were outside your home; you couldn’t go further than 10 kilometres , then five kilometres from your home; and those in LGAs “of concern” faced some of the harshest lockdown restrictions seen anywhere.

The vaccine rollout was sped up, but still those case numbers kept escalating. Then, on September 9 – a day the state recorded 1405 cases – the state government gave us a glimmer of hope: lockdown would end the Monday after we reached a 70 per cent vaccination rate. At the time, it was predicted that the Monday in question would be October 18 – but thanks to an uptick in vaccinations, end-of-lockdown has come early. We’ve experienced a fair bit of tumult since then – not least the surprise resignation of Berejiklian last week, and a tweak to the road map by our new premier. But today, we’re one step closer to getting our old lives back.

We’re not out of the woods yet. We’re still recording daily numbers that would have had us flinching at the beginning of all this – there were 498 new cases reported today. Children under 12 – all of whom will be back at school by October 25 – still aren’t eligible for vaccination. And there’s a huge chunk of people who are medically exempt from the vaccine, have chosen not to get it, or haven’t had access to it. And we still don’t really know what reopening will mean – will our health system cope? Will we, or our loved ones, get sick despite being vaccinated? And is there a chance we’ll end up back in lockdown if numbers get too out of control?

For now, all we know is that it’s important to keep following the health advice. Get vaccinated if you’re eligible and haven’t yet. Keep wearing your bloody mask. And most of all, no matter whether you’re dipping a toe into these new/old freedoms or diving into them headfirst, make sure you enjoy them. We’ve earned it.

Hitting the pub? Check out Sydney’s best here.
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New South Wales is reopening, but the pandemic isn’t over. We’re entering a new phase of living with Covid-19: some of us will be going out like crazy, while others might prefer to stay at home for now. If you want to support your favourite venues and businesses, ensure you're adhering to current health advice. The Covid-19 situation is evolving and public health requirements are still subject to change. If you have concerns about visiting businesses or public spaces, or questions about self-isolation or coronavirus testing, see the latest updates from the NSW Government.