Overview
While New South Wales started moving out of lockdown a few months back, life definitely hasn't returned to pre-COVID-19 normality just yet. Slowly, however, more and more restrictions are continuing to relax — including, as just announced today, Wednesday, December 2, very significant changes to venue and event capacity restrictions.
As revealed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, from Monday, December 7, major outdoor events with a crowd are back on the agenda. Regional areas had already been given the go-ahead to host events, such as shows, with 5000 people this summer. Now that bigger cap applies to Sydney as well. Again, the events have to be outside and they must be ticketed — in other words, they must be 'controlled'. Otherwise, outdoor events can only have up to 3000 people.
Also changing, as flagged in the most recent eased restrictions announced back on Wednesday, November 25: the in-venue capacity cap. Last week, it was revealed that venues with up to 200 square metres of space could welcome in more customers, with a one-person-per-two-square-metres limit in place from December 1 — and with no limit on the total number of patrons. From December 7, the same will apply to all venues both indoors and outdoors, except for gyms and nightclubs. And, it'll be in place for events as well.
At hospitality venues, you'll also be allowed to stand outside. You will need to remain seated indoors, however. Indoor dance floors will be able to welcome 50 people at a time, too, so you can start showing off your fancy footwork again.
Seated outdoor stadiums and theatres can move to 100-percent capacity as well, if they're outdoors, ticketed and seated. Indoors, stadiums and theatres can move to 75-percent capacity.
Vivid, Proudence Upton
For outdoor gatherings — so you and your mates or family having a picnic or barbecue — you can now get together with up to 100 people, too. Also relevant: there'll also be no upper caps for weddings and funerals, either.
Premier Berejiklian called the news "a major easing of restrictions" — and noted that the announcement came as NSW clocks up 25 days without community transmission.
As previously revealed, another big change will come into effect on Monday, December 14, and it applies to working from home. The NSW Government will remove the public health order that covers the topic, so you can expect more people returning to the office. In line with that shift, NSW residents are also asked to wear masks on public transport as there'll be more people using the network.
As always, the usual rules regarding hygiene, social distancing and getting tested if you display any possible COVID-19 symptoms all still apply as restrictions keep easing.
For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Top image: Vivid, Jordan Munns.