The Property Council of Australia has applauded the NSW Government for announcing an end date to the mandatory wearing of masks in the office and work-from-home orders.
Property Council of Australia's NSW Executive Director Luke Achterstraat said that after a challenging start to 2022 the state has taken a leap forward in living with the virus.
"CBDs are critical economic engines and we have always said the best way to revitalise our cities is to get people back into the office. Today's announcement is a positive endorsement of that approach," Mr Achterstraat said.
"With a high vaccination rate of 95 per cent and improved knowledge of the virus, it is time to return to being a society of faces and remove barriers to office collaboration.
"Our CBDs support thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, so this announcement is positive not just for office owners but the cafes, restaurants and retailers that rely on CBD foot-traffic.
"Our latest Office Market report revealed the resilience of our CBDs with office vacancy rates at globally envious lows of 9.3 per cent. The easing of restrictions announced today is a vote of confidence in the future of the office and the CBD."
Mr Achterstraat thanked the NSW Government for listening to extensive advocacy from Property Council over the last few weeks.
"The Omicron wave is moving behind us, countries around the world are beginning to pull restrictions and our international borders open from Monday, so we are optimistic the economic recovery will continue."
