Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed that there will be no gatherings in Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Eve and current restrictions will continue beyond 30 December.
“You cannot come to the CBD on New Year’s Eve unless you have a booking from a hospitality venue. But even if you have a booking, you have to get a permit through Service NSW to prove you got that booking,” said Ms Berejiklian.
“You cannot just, unfortunately, pick up and go along to those frequently attended venues without a controlled and ticketed event.”
Only people with a New Year’s Eve Pass from Service NSW will be allowed to enter designated zones around Circular Quay, North Sydney and the City.
Households in the CBD that wish to have up to 10 visitors will need to log in with Service NSW and provide the names of people coming to their household.
Greater Sydney restrictions
Outdoor gatherings in Greater Sydney are now limited to groups of 50.
No more than 10 people, including children, can be in one household at a time.
Hospitality venues will remain open but must still adhere to the one person per four square metres rule.
Northern Beaches lockdown
Lockdowns for the Northern Beaches will continue.
Restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs will not be open on New Year’s Eve, except for takeaway.
The northern section’s lockdown will be extended until 9 January. On New Year’s Eve, households may have up to 5 visitors from the northern section.
The southern section’s lockdown will be extended until 2 January. On New Year’s Eve, households may have up to 10 visitors from the southern section.
Ms Berejiklian hopes that the southern section will be able to adopt the more relaxed Greater Sydney restrictions from 2 January onwards.
Five new cases have been recorded since 8pm Sunday. The Northern Beaches cluster has now grown to 126.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has urged Sydneysiders to continue getting tested, especially anyone who has visited the Belrose Hotel in December.
“Anyone who attended the Belrose Hotel at any time in December and had symptoms that could be compatible with Covid, we’re asking you to come forward for testing.
“This is part of the detective work to better understand how the cluster has emerged in the Northern Beaches. The Belrose Hotel has not yet been linked to the Avalon cluster, but there are now three cases that have attended this venue.”
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