Greater Sydney and Northern Beaches to Return to Pre-Christmas Restrictions from Tonight
All of the northern beaches — including northern and southern zones — will return to stay-at-home orders, but with limited outdoor gatherings allowed.
For three days over Christmas, the stay-at-home orders in place on Sydney's northern beaches suburbs were slightly relaxed to allow for indoor gatherings. From midnight tonight, Saturday, December 26, that privilege ends and all of the northern beaches will revert back to pre-Christmas restrictions, but with one small change: limited outdoor gatherings are allowed.
Today, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that residents of the northern half of the northern beaches — where the majority of the outbreak is located — must return to stay-at-home orders, but are allowed outdoor gatherings of up to five people, for recreation or exercise purposes. Residents in the southern half also revert back to stay-at-home orders, but are allowed outdoors gatherings of up to ten.
Residents can't leave their zones and people from Greater Sydney cannot enter the region.
These restrictions will be in place until at least midnight on Wednesday, December 30 — when the Premier is set to make another announcement.
If you need a refresher on the zones, the NSW Government has split the northern beaches into two zones — a northern and southern section, using the Narrabeen Bridge and the Baha'i Temple as a boundary. You can see a map below.
For the rest of Greater Sydney, which currently includes the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, restrictions also revert back to pre-Christmas conditions, which is indoor gatherings of up to ten people (including adults and children). Outdoor public gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed. The rest of NSW may have indoor gatherings of up to 50 people.
The announcement comes as NSW records nine additional cases of locally acquired COVID-19 in the 24 hours leading up to 8pm on Friday, December 25. Eight of those are linked to the cluster, one is a person from the Bondi area with no known links to the Avalon cluster yet that is currently under investigation.
While those in Greater Sydney are allowed to shop and dine at restaurants, the Premier has urged everyone to limit their movement. "All of us in greater Sydney should be reducing activity where possible, not undertaking activity unless we absolutely have to," the Premier said.
The Premier has also said more announcements about New Year's Eve restrictions will be made in the coming days.
Here's a full rundown of the new restrictions that come into place from midnight tonight until 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 30.
For the northern beaches peninsula zone (North of Narrabeen Bridge, and east of the Baha'i Temple):
- Given the ongoing risk, this area will return to 'stay-at-home' restrictions, with no indoor gatherings allowed.
- Up to five people, including children, will be able to gather outdoors for exercise or recreational activity.
- People may not enter or leave this zone.
For the remainder (southern zone) of the northern beaches:
- Given the ongoing risk, this area will return to 'stay-at-home' restrictions, with no indoor gatherings allowed.
- Up to 10 people, including children, will be able to gather outdoors for exercise or recreational activity.
- People may not enter or leave this zone.
Residents of the northern beaches are able to leave for four permitted reasons:
- Shopping for food or other goods and services
- Travel for work or education purposes if unable to work from home
- Exercise
- Medical or caring reasons.
For the Greater Sydney region, Central Coast, Wollongong and Nepean Blue Mountains:
- Restrictions will remain unchanged in these regions.
- Gatherings in the home are restricted to 10 people in total (including children).
- People who work in the CBD are urged to work from home where practical.
Restrictions for Regional NSW remain unchanged.
For more information about the northern beaches outbreak and current restrictions, head to the NSW Health website.
Top image: Mona Vale
