Restrictions eased for Christmas

FROM more than 41,800 tests, eight locally acquired cases of Covid-19 recorded in New South Wales in the last 24 hours; seven cases are linked to the Avalon cluster and the other case is a close contact of the health care worker who became infected.

Two venues in regional NSW have been added to the venue alert list. Visitors to these venues should get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result:

• Gundagai: Oliver’s Real Food, 31 Annie Pyers Dr, Friday, December 18, 5:30-6:05pm
• Orange: Orange Central Square Shopping Centre, 227-239 Summer St, Saturday, December 19, 4:05-4:15pm

Central Coast: Residents are encouraged to get tested for even the mildest symptoms, following the virus being detected in the sewerage treatment plant in Kincumber.  

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced some flexibility during the Christmas period for restrictions in Sydney, with restrictions going back to current requirements after Boxing Day.

The Premier explained she wanted people to be able to enjoy time with family and friends at Christmas, while still having restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. 

She explained the rational in allowing people on the Northern Beaches to have visitors is to their homes, was to deter people in the Northern Beaches from travelling to venues outside of the area and cautioned anyone visiting friends and family in the area to consider the risks, especially if they were elderly or had underlying health conditions.

Restrictions by region:

Regional New South Wales is unaffected by additional restrictions in Sydney.

The northern beaches have been broken into two areas, the north and the south, with different restrictions applied.

North: People living north of the Narrabeen Bridge remain in lockdown and from Thursday until Saturday they can have five people including children visit their home, if the visitors are from the northern area of the northern beaches. Residents of this zone are not permitted to leave the area, unless for essential reasons. 

South: People living in the southern part of the northern beaches may have up to 10 guests, with children of primary school age and younger not included in the total number and they may visit from other areas. Residents of this zone are not permitted to leave the area, unless for essential reasons.

Greater Sydney: Across the greater Sydney area, restrictions will be eased from Thursday to Saturday, with household gatherings still limited to 10 guests, but children under the age of 12 are not included in the count.

For the latest advice on restrictions visit: NSW Health.