Highlights
- NSW recorded five locally-acquired COVID-19 cases -- all linked to the Northern Beaches outbreak.
- Stricter limits on gatherings have been announced for northern beaches residents.
- Sydneysiders are being told to watch the shorter, seven-minute midnight display on TV.
In the northern zone, a cap on indoor and outdoor gatherings of five people within your zone applies. In the southern zone, the cap is ten people from within your zone.
A permit system will regulate the number of people seeking to enter Sydney CBD [[designated zones around Circular Quay, North Sydney and the City]] on New Year's Eve.
In greater Sydney, council events and functions at CBD business venues will proceed with strict requirements around distancing, allocated seating and record keeping.
Also in greater Sydney: outdoor gatherings, such as picnics, will be reduced from a cap of 100 to 50. Camping out at fireworks vantage points around the harbour is banned.
Household gathering limits will remain at 10 people, including children.
Places along the Sydney Harbour foreshore that were reserved for frontline workers have been cancelled.
Ms Berejiklian says the measures are about risk management.
"So unless you have a permit to go to someone's home of not more than 10 people, or you have a permit from Service New South Wales to attend a hospitality venue, nobody should be at the CBD at all. And that is our strong message. All of us, no matter where we are in the New South Wales, Australia or the world for that matter, can enjoy the seven-minute display from home. And that it is safest way this year to enjoy the fireworks"
