New South Wales will revert to tighter coronavirus restrictions for homes and venues in the Greater Sydney region after the state recorded another 30 cases by Sunday morning.
The state government is also “asking” people across Sydney to wear masks in public for the next few weeks, especially indoors, but has not yet made that measure mandatory.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 28 of the cases had been directly linked to the Avalon cluster, with two still under investigation.
“We have not seen massive seeding outside the Northern Beaches,” Ms Berejiklian said at a press conference.
The latest diagnosed cases lift the state’s tally of known infections to 70.
But new rules have been clamped on Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Central Coast, to nip the spread of the current Northern Beaches cluster.
NSW recorded 30 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Six cases were reported in overseas travellers. This brings the total number of cases in NSW since the start of the pandemic to 4,559. pic.twitter.com/wHkwBXgAz7
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 20, 2020
Public health orders will limit households to only welcoming 10 visitors per day, while hospitality venues will revert to density limits of one person per four square metres.
Limits will also be placed on public activities.
Dancing will not be permitted in public, except for no more than 20 people at weddings. Singing and chanting will also be banned, except for places of worship allowed to have five people doing that activity.
Those rules are currently in place on a wait-and-see basis until Wednesday, December 23.
Ms Berejiklian said those rules would be reassessed on Wednesday, and potentially extended if needed.
“If we continue to work together and see things improved, obviously we will be able to reassess these settings moving forward,” she said.
“I will confirm that the health experts and others will advise government on Wednesday morning as to these settings and what we do, post the current designated lockdown period.”
The state government is under pressure to extend rules to make masks mandatory in public areas, but has so far resisted that change. However, health minister Brad Hazzard said “it would make a lot of sense for people to be wearing masks at the present time.”
“We appreciate there are some people who cannot wear masks for various health reasons, but certainly I am asking and the government is asking all residents of the Greater Sydney area to wear masks at least for the next few days until we revisit this issue on Wednesday,” he said.
“It may well be wise to wear those masks going through Christmas, New Year in the Greater Sydney area.”
Premier Berejiklian also asked people not to panic-buy supplies from shops, saying essential stores would remain open.
“Even if you live beyond the Northern Beaches, you should be wearing a mask indoors,” she said.
The Premier also asked people going grocery shopping, visiting a place of worship, or in “an indoor setting or anywhere where social distancing can’t be maintained, please wear a mask”.
“And, for heaven’s sake, do not get on public transport unless you are wearing a mask. I can’t stress that enough,” she added.
The list of at-risk venues now extends up to the NSW north coast town of Forster, out to the western Sydney suburb of Homebush, and into the heart of the city in Surry Hills.
Just days out from Christmas, the sudden outbreak has derailed countless holiday plans as people are forced into quarantine or state premiers throw up new border restrictions to those coming from NSW.
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