Greater Sydney is entering a two-week coronavirus lockdown. Here’s what you need to know

The NSW government has announced a two-week lockdown for Greater Sydney as health authorities work to gain control of a COVID-19 outbreak that has grown to 80 cases. 

Residents and people who worked in four Sydney local government areas – Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, and City of Sydney – have been subject to stay-at-home orders since 11:59pm on Friday. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced these orders will be extended to include all of Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and now also Shellharbour from 6pm on Saturday until 11:59pm on Friday, 9 July. 

The premier said a two-week lockdown is needed in order to contain community transmission of the highly-contagious Delta variant.

“When you have a contagious variant like the Delta virus, there’s no point doing a three-day lockdown and having the virus bubble away in the community,” she said. 

Here’s what the new restrictions mean for you. 

Stay-at-home orders for Greater Sydney

From 11.59pm on Saturday, everyone in Greater Sydney will only be able to leave their homes for essential reasons. These include: 

Changes to weddings, funerals and community sport

Weddings can go ahead this weekend, but will not be permitted from Monday, 28 June, until the end of the lockdown.

Funerals will be limited to one person per square metres with a cap of 100 people, and masks must be worn indoors. 

Community sport will not be allowed during this period. 

The restrictions for Greater Sydney will remain in place until at least midnight on 9 July. Ms Berejiklian said health authorities will assess the situation after seven days, but that “this will be, for all intents and purposes, a two-week lockdown”. 

What about the rest of NSW?

Anyone who has been in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, on or after 21 June are being asked to follow the stay-at-home-orders for 14 days after leaving the region.

People across NSW should only enter Greater Sydney for essential purposes. 

A range of restrictions will also be re-introduced for regional NSW. 

Gathering limits

Visitors to households will be limited to five guests, including children. 

Face masks compulsory

Masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including workplaces and at organised outdoor events.

Restrictions for social events

Drinking while standing at indoors venues will not be allowed, nor will dancing at indoor hospitality venues or nightclubs. Dancing will, however, be allowed at weddings for the wedding party only (but no more than 20 people).

Singing by audiences and choirs at indoor venues or by congregants at indoor places of worship will not be allowed. 

The one person per four square metre rule will be re-introduced for all indoor and outdoor settings, including weddings and funerals.  

Outdoor seated, ticketed events will be limited to 50 per cent seated capacity. 

Gym classes limited 

Outside of the Greater Sydney lockdown region, dance and gym classes will be limited to 20 per class, and masks must be worn. 

Interstate and trans-Tasman travel 

All states and territories have introduced travel restrictions in response to the Sydney outbreak.

Earlier this week, Victoria declared all of Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Shellharbour and Wollongong, red zones under their travel permit system from 1am on Friday, barring people who have recently been in the areas from travelling without an exemption.

Travellers from NSW COVID-19 hot spots wanting to cross into Victoria have been sent a stark warning. 

“The message is simple. Don’t come from a NSW red zone to Victoria. To Victorians, do not visit those red zones in NSW,” Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said on Saturday. 

Queensland has applied similar rules to people in Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, while South Australia has introduced a travel ban for anyone who has been in NSW since 11 June (barring border communities).

Western Australia has also closed its border to travellers from NSW.

The Northern Territory has declared Greater Sydney a hot spot, forcing arrivals from these areas to undergo a 14-day supervised quarantine, and Tasmania has banned travellers from high-risk local government areas from entering the state without an exemption.

New Zealand has also suspended the trans-Tasman bubble arrangement in response to the recent outbreak.