A handful of COVID-19 restrictions will be eased across Greater Sydney from Friday, but it will be at least two weeks before hospitality venues can permit one person per two square metres.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday announced household gatherings could increase to 30 visitors, with 50 people outdoors, as of 12.01am on Friday.
Masks will also no longer be compulsory in retail shopping venues from Friday, but they are recommended. They will remain mandatory for hospitality staff, on public transport and in places of worship, gaming rooms, beauticians and hairdressers.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, at a press conference about the easing of restrictions in NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
Hospitality venues will have to wait at least another two weeks before the anticipated easing of the one person per four square metres to one per two square metres.
“We are on the verge of reverting back to the [two-square-metre] rule, but the best advice anywhere tells you that you need two cycles of transmission to feel confident that you have eliminated all transmission,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We’re not there yet and the reason is that, whilst we’ve had two 14-day cycles of the northern beaches [without] any community transmission, in south-west and western Sydney we’ve gone through one cycle of transmission.”
The Premier said the second cycle would be complete in two weeks, giving health authorities confidence they had “ticked all the boxes” before further relaxation of restrictions.
“We look forward to starting off the working year and the school year in a positive light by easing these restrictions ensuring that we’re COVID safe, but also using the lessons of last year, as we deal with a pandemic moving forward.”
Under the eased restrictions to commence on Friday, weddings and funerals will be capped at 300 people fully seated, subject to the four-square-metre rule.
Dancing will still be restricted to 20 people in a bridal party. Singing remains limited to five people in a choir.
In the latest reporting period, there were two cases acquired overseas, from 9723 tests, up from 7819 in the previous 24 hours.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said authorities remained concerned about the low testing numbers across the state because the virus could still be circulating in the community.
“The testing numbers have been sitting around about the 8000 or 9000 [number]. That is not adequate,” he said.
“We need to have clear information as to whether or not the virus is still circulating in our community, particularly in the west and south-west.”
Mr Hazzard said increased testing numbers would be needed to give health authorities the confidence to recommend further easing of restrictions over the next two weeks.
Chief Health officer Dr Kerry Chant said that, despite the low risk of community transmission, vigilance was still critical for Greater Sydney.
“I’ve used the words ‘critical period’ in our response many times during COVID and I think I’ll use it again. We want to ensure that there are no undetected chains of transmission,” she said.
“Our focus is particularly on western Sydney and south-western Sydney. So as a special call out to those communities, please come forward.”
NSW Health’s sewage surveillance reported recently detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the Liverpool treatment plant.
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Lucy Cormack is a state political reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2021-01-27 02:53:00Z
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