Students will begin returning to classrooms in NSW from October 25, as the state records 882 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths to 8pm Thursday night.
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Kindergarten and Year 1 students will return from October 25, Year 2, 6 and 11 will return from November 1 and Year 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 will return from November 8.
Year 12 students are already able to attend school in a limited fashion and that will continue for the rest of term three, but they will have full campus access from October 25.
HSC exams will be delayed until November and vaccinations will be mandatory for school staff.
If however, stay at home orders are lifted in an LGA or region before October 25, all students living or learning in that area would return to face to face learning under the Department's COVID-safe schools framework.
The return to school comes as Australia's vaccine advisory group ATAGI recommended children aged 12 to 15 the receive Pfizer vaccine.
Of the 882 new cases today, three were acquired overseas.
767 COVID cases are in hospital, 117 in ICU and 47 on ventilators.
143,000 vaccinations were administered in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday.
NSW Health and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian have not revealed how many of the cases were infectious while in the community or how many were linked to known outbreaks.
Ms Berejiklian revealed school will return to face-to-face learning from October.
Yesterday the state recorded 1029 cases.
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On Thursday, NSW extended the lockdown in regional NSW until midnight September 10, despite Deputy Premier John Barilaro telling regional media earlier in the week COVID free areas had a good case for release.
Following the announcement Mr Barilaro said the Shepparton outbreak and cases in the northern Riverina contributed to the need to keep the state locked down.
"When we mapped it, there was a threat on that border, we took that into account, we took into account what was happening with a couple of exposure sites, especially in Temora," he said.
"There are parts of the state that are clean and could argue quickly why we should open their borders, but when you did it against the broader map a lot of it was closed or impacted.
"Therefore it's an easier message, easier for compliance and it's a precautionary measure to make sure we don't have an outbreak, that's why the two-week extension."
Despite the lockdown NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced fully vaccinated residents would be allowed more freedom from September 13.
This includes outdoor gatherings of up to five people (including children) will be allowed within a person's local government area or within 5km of home into another LGA. But all adults must be vaccinated.
Those in local government areas of concern can gather outdoors for one hour of recreation within existing rules. This is in addition to the one hour allowed for exercise.
Earlier this morning Victoria revealed the state had recorded 79 new cases in the 24 hours to midnight yesterday.
An Echuca aged care nurse, who lives in Kyabram and was double dosed, has tested positive to COVID-19.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
