Northern Beaches' Stay-at-Home Orders Will End on January 10

In a bid to contain the current COVID-19 outbreak, Sydney's northern beaches have been under stay-at-home orders since Saturday, December 19. Initially flagged to end on Wednesday, December 30, those orders were extended before the end of 2020 until at least Saturday, January 9, specifically for the northern half of the northern beaches.

That end date is almost upon us and, when 12.01am hits on Sunday, January 10, the orders will indeed come to an end — as Minister for Health Brad Hazzard confirmed at the NSW daily press conference today, Friday, January 8. From that moment, the northern part of the northern beaches will adopt the same restrictions currently in effect in Greater Sydney and the southern part of the northern beaches.

That means folks in the top section of the northern beaches will be allowed to leave the house for any reason; however, other requirements are in effect. You'll need to wear face masks in some indoor settings, such as shopping, public and shared transport, indoor entertainment venues, places of worship, and hair and beauty salons. And, you can only have five visitors (including children) to your house, and gather in groups of 30 people outside your home.

For venues in the area — which includes hospitality venues — the one person per four-square-metre rule is in effect. And, a cap of 300 people remains for big venues, even if a large space can hold more than that and still abide by the density requirement.

Outdoor performances and protests can have 500 people, controlled outdoor gatherings — that are seated and ticketed — can have 2000 people, and nightclubs aren't allowed to open.

Folks are still encouraged to limit non-essential gatherings, and to reduce how much they go out where possible to help minimise the risk of transmission in the community.

The news comes as NSW reported 11 new cases over the past 24 hours, including four new local cases and seven acquired from overseas. In response to the just-announced lockdown in the Greater Brisbane area to try to stop a possible spread linked to one new community COVID-19 case in the Sunshine State, the NSW Government also advised that anyone who has been in Greater Brisbane since January 2 and is now in NSW must isolate until 7pm AEDT on Monday, January 11, too.

Sydneysiders are also asked to continue to frequently check NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited over the past week — and, if you've been to anywhere listed on the specific dates and times, get tested immediately and self-isolate. You can also have a look at the venue alerts over at this new interactive map.

For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.