One of Australia's leading infectious diseases physicians says it is "inappropriate" for hospitality to reopen before students can return to classrooms in New South Wales.
Fully-vaccinated adults will be allowed inside pubs, gyms, hairdressers and other beauty-related industries from about October 11 when the 70 per cent vaccination milestone is expected to be hit.
While families will not be able to send students to school until October 25 when a staggered return will kick off with kindergarten, Year 1 and 12 pupils.
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Professor Peter Collignon said there is a greater risk of coronavirus transmission among older residents and has questioned holding back the return to face-to-face learning.
"Bars and clubs are much more of a risk than schools and it's a bit inappropriate to open bars and clubs before we've opened schools, in my view," Professor Collignon told Today.
"Five-year-old children are less of a risk than eight-year-old children and less of a risk than 12-year-old children."
He pointed to evidence in England where hospital admissions among children were low compared to adults.
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"For every 100,000 children, maybe, per week at the worst potential time there are three, four (hospital) admissions per 100,000 children," he said.
"We'd prefer not to have that but that is not a lot. There are a lot more 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds being admitted to hospital there proportionately.
"So who we need to protect more are the parents and teachers and that can be done through vaccinations."
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His comments follow calls by another infectious diseases expert, Professor Robert Booy.
Earlier this month, Professor Booy from the University of Sydney said the reopening date for schools should be brought forward from October 25 to around October 11.
A report by the National Centre for Immunisation and Research into the spread of COVID-19 in NSW educational settings showed transmission between children had been low during the Delta outbreak.
Just two per cent of children who caught coronavirus have been hospitalised and most experienced mild or no symptoms.
New case after lockdown lifted
The debate comes as a new COVID-19 infection has been confirmed in Byron Bay after the northern New South Wales region and neighbouring Tweed Shire come out of lockdown.
The Northern NSW Local Health District on Tuesday night confirmed two new cases, one in Byron and the other about 60 kilometres west in Kyogle.
Health authorities are still investigating how both people became infected and say they were both infectious while in the community.
NSW recorded 863 new cases of COVID-19 and seven new deaths yesterday.
The state has hit a full vaccination rate of 60.4 per cent, just 10 per cent away from the state's "Freedom Day", anticipated to be on October 11.
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