The states have called on NSW to talk to them before going it alone on COVID-19 restrictions.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian may soon deviate from an agreed strategy to contain COVID-19; floating plans to relax some restrictions once 50 per cent of the state is vaccinated.

However, last week’s national cabinet meeting saw other state leaders ask Ms Berejiklian to return to that forum before she gives up on the plan to reach zero community transmission.

Reports say Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan specifically warned against unilateral action from individual states.

The current national plan is for states to use lockdowns and restrictions to pursue zero daily cases of COVID-19 transmitted in the community until a minimum of 70 per cent of eligible Australians are vaccinated. 

Public health leaders from the Burnet Institute and the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association have warned NSW as it deviates from the zero-case target.

“The NSW government can’t just go out on its own and do something different to what is agreed nationally,” Mr McGowan said. 

“NSW just needs to crush and kill the virus, that’s what every other state has done.”

Ms Berejiklian says she is committed to the national road map. 

“But please know that once we hit 50 to 60 per cent, lockdown plus easing some restrictions is very different to what the Doherty report says must happen at 70 per cent,” she said.

The Premier was referring to recent figures from Doherty Institute that found lockdowns will still be required to control COVID-19 until Australia’s vaccination rate hits 70 per cent of the adult population.

Some have questioned the other states’ stance, given that they made their own unilateral decisions at other points during the pandemic.

“The problem with the other states is they’ve never had to cope with a significant outbreak of Delta,” former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth told reporters this week. 

“NSW is in uncharted territory, let’s help them chart the way forward instead of this criticism.”