Greater Sydney residents will now have to wear masks when visiting public indoor settings, like a cinema or shopping centre.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the face coverings would become mandatory as seven new Covid-19 cases were reported in the state on Saturday.
Residents in Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains, will be required to cover up from midnight.
It will be compulsory to wear a mask in some indoor places including shopping centres and cinemas, and on public transport – which includes trains and buses.
Residents visiting an entertainment venue, hair and beauty salons, gaming areas or places of worship will also have to follow the rules.
Hospitality staff will also have to wear a mask while serving customers.
Greater Sydney residents will now have to wear masks when visiting public indoor settings, like a cinema or shopping centre (pictured, a woman wears a face mask as she walks along Market Street in Sydney’s CBD amid the latest coronavirus outbreak)
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the face coverings would become mandatory as seven new Covid-19 cases were reported in the state on Saturday
Although the rule will come into effect over the weekend, enforcement will not begin until Monday.
Anyone caught not wearing a mask within these indoor settings risks copping a $200 fine.
‘We want people in NSW to be able to go about their business as much as possible but we need to reduce the risks in certain settings where we know there are challenges,’ Ms Berejiklian said.
‘We have already strongly wanted people to wear a mask but we do not want to restrict peoples ability to go about their business.
‘We want to increase economic activity and mask wearing in these settings will ensure we have the confidence to do that.’
Further restrictions will also be added to venues to limit their capacities.
Gym classes will be cut down to 30 people while places of worship, weddings and funerals will be capped at 100 attendees.
No more than 500 people will be allowed to attend an outdoor performance and a cap of 2,000 people will be set for controlled outdoor events.
Face masks will be mandatory on public transport (pictured) and other indoor venues from midnight on Saturday
‘We have learned during the pandemic that we have had to actually make stricter restrictions earlier on in the pandemic,’ Ms Berejiklian said.
NSW Health expanded its list of exposure sites on Friday evening, saying anyone who visited BWS in Berala between 22 and 31 December must get tested immediately and isolate.
Meanwhile, Victoria has officially shut its border to NSW overnight after the decision announced on Thursday prompted a scramble for holiday-makers rushing to get home.
The ACT has also updated restrictions from midday on Saturday requiring anyone travelling to the state from a COVID-19 hotspot in NSW to provide an exemption.
People from Sydney’s northern beaches, Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong will not be legally permitted to enter the ACT without a valid pass.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced gym classes will be slashed from 50 to 30
NSW Health has also put out an exposure alert for shoppers who visited menswear store Culture Kings in Sydney between 1pm and 2pm on Monday, December 28.
Health authorities were relieved to announce a mystery source that sparked the Croydon cluster and two cases in Wollongong was found to be linked to the Avalon cluster revealed by genetic testing.
Other alerts include Bunnings in Ashfield on December 28, Woolworths at Strathfield Plaza on December 20, Woolworths at Berala on December 24, 26, 28, and Haberfield’s Clark Rubber on December 28.
Two coronavirus cases from Victoria travelled to the NSW south coast on December 30 prompting notifications in Eden and Bermagui.
Guests at weddings, funerals and places of worship have been reduced to 100 and are subject to the four square metre rule. Pictured: A couple get married during the coronavirus pandemic in Sydney in March
Patrons who dined at the Swallowed Anchor restaurant in Wollongong on December 19 have been urgently called after one case from Croydon and another from the local area both attended on that date.
On Friday evening the Tasmanian government announced NSW’s Wollongong Local Government Area would join Greater Sydney as a medium-risk area from midnight, meaning arrivals from there will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Tasmania classifies Sydney’s northern beaches as a high-risk area, meaning no entry to Tasmania is allowed unless a special exemption is granted.
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