All student year groups are returning to NSW classrooms for face-to-face learning despite some schools being closed for deep cleaning after COVID-19 cases.
Kindergarten, year one and year 12 students went back to school in NSW last week and the remaining students are returning to classrooms on Monday.
Non-urgent elective surgery will also resume at public and private hospitals within Greater Sydney on Monday after being cancelled in August to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed as COVID-19 cases soared.
Overnight elective surgery will be capped at 75 per cent in both public and private facilities but private facilities can exceed the cap if they are providing surgery for public patients.
There are no restrictions in regional hospitals providing overnight non-urgent elective surgery.
Jury trials will also resume in the District Court with COVID-19 safety precautions including a requirement for jurors to be fully vaccinated and practice social distancing.
Premier Dominic Perrottet admits there will be challenges as 810,000 students get back to school but he’s “very confident” it will go well.
“We’ve had a number of schools close but the alternative is to keep all schools closed,” Mr Perrottet said on Sunday.
“We’re not doing that.”
On Sunday night, NSW Education announced 16 schools were closed for cleaning and contact tracing after positive COVID-19 tests in their communities.
Asked about reports up to 160 schools throughout NSW had staffing issues as students returned, Mr Perrottet said he was aware there would be some shortages.
“There will always be teachers and people across our state who just decide not to get vaccinated,” he said.
“That’s their choice. We believe it’s a bad choice but ultimately, that success rate of 95 per cent has helped us get our kids back in the classroom.”
All teachers are required to be fully vaccinated and vaccines are recommended for students 12 and older.
Masks are compulsory for teachers and high school students and are strongly recommended for primary school students.
There were 296 locally acquired COVID infections on Sunday along with four deaths.
Some 480 people with the virus remain in NSW hospitals, 119 of them in intensive care and 67 of those requiring ventilation.
More than 93 per cent of NSW residents 16 or over have now received at least one vaccine dose, while 84.4 per cent have had both jabs.
AAP
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