Twelve months after a million revellers descended on Sydney Harbour to herald the start of what was to be a year like no other, the city’s usually packed streets are empty.
Hundreds of thousands of eager Sydneysiders and international tourists typically pack the foreshore from the early hours of December 31, to ensure they can snatch the perfect spot for the city’s globally renown firework display.
But as a mysterious coronavirus outbreak plagues the city, residents have been told to watch the fireworks from their television screens and to avoid unnecessary social mingling – with the city locked down.
Vantage points across the harbour have been blocked off from the public with fences and signage turning prospective visitors away for the first time, with the city empty just hours before the clock strikes midnight.
An empty Sydney Harbour foreshore is seen from Mrs Macquarie’s Point – usually the busiest area of the city on December 31 with people queuing for 24 hours to get a spot – before New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney on Thursday
Thousands of Sydneysiders and tourists gather at Circular Quay for the New Year’s Eve fireworks on December 31, 2019
But this year, vantage points across the harbour have been blocked off from the public this year due to the coronavirus pandemic (pictured, Thursday afternoon in the usually packed out Botanical Gardens)
Crowds of people typically line up at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair as early as two days before the fireworks. Pictured: Spectators run towards the foreshore on December 31, 2018 to snap up the best spot possible
‘Due to Covid-19, we’re celebrating New Year’s Eve a little differently this year,’ a sign reads.
‘To ensure public safety, this park is closed to the public.
‘Police will be patrolling the area to ensure no unauthorised entry.’
Mrs Macquarie’s Chair – one of the most popular vantage points – was a ghost town on Thursday and a world away from last year’s celebrations.
In 2019, some excited tourists began queuing up at 7am on December 30 – more than 40 hours before the first fireworks were due to be launched.
Video footage from last year also showed hundreds of people running through the Botanical Gardens the moment the gates opened to secure the best viewing spots.
Sydney’s 2019 firework display controversially went ahead despite widespread fire bans across the country amid a devastating bushfire season.
Families were forced to ring in the New Year in evaucation centres across the country.
Sydneysiders have been told to watch the fireworks from their television screens. Pictured: An empty Sydney Harbour foreshore is seen from Mrs Macquarie’s Point on Thursday
‘Due to Covid-19, we’re celebrating New Year’s Eve a little differently this year,’ a sign near the Sydney Harbour foreshore reads
A woman stands by a fence near the harbour foreshore ahead of New Year’s Eve in Sydney on Thursday. Crowds are being turned away from watching the fireworks display and are encouraged to view it at home
Security guards are seen walking along the Circular Quay foreshore ahead of the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney on December 31
Little did we know that 2020 celebrations would be marred by a different type of crisis.
The day-to-day lives Australians once enjoyed were flipped upside down when the coronavirus pandemic riddled the nation in March.
Face masks and restrictions on social gatherings quickly became the norm and they will likely follow us beyond the New Year.
On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian further tightened restrictions following an outbreak on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, as the number of active cases in the state swelled to 170.
Residents in Greater Sydney, including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains, are restricted to hosting five visitors in their homes, including children.
Pictured: People are seen sitting and sleeping before access is granted for New Year’s Eve celebrations at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on December 31, 2019
Crowds battle the heat as they wait for the New Year’s Eve fireworks at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on December 31, 2019
A police officer patrols the crowd as they prepare to mark the end of 2018 under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The site is empty thi syear
The limit for outdoor gatherings has been reduced from 50 to 30. The changes will remain in place indefinitely.
Boats are allowed on Sydney Harbour for New Year’s Eve but will have to abide by strict guidelines.
The 9pm kids-friendly fireworks will not go ahead and people will need permits to enter zones at Circular Quay, North Sydney and the CBD.
Ms Berejiklian said she is hoping 2021 will be easier than 2020, as she urged the city to follow the rules.
‘Let’s start off the year on a positive foot, by respecting the restrictions that are in place, but also demonstrating common sense because good government policy and restrictions doesn’t cover every situation and every single venue and every single circumstance,’ she said.
There was no such thing as social distancing in 2019 when thousands of residents and tourists flocked to vantage points across the Harbour City for the fireworks. Pictured: Crowds at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair in 2018
Pictured: Mrs Macquarie’s Point was a ghost town on Thursday as Sydneysiders are banned from the harbour foreshore for the fireworks
The Victorian government is urging people not to head into Melbourne on Thursday night unless they have a hospitality booking.
Melbourne’s fireworks would normally attract nearly half a million revellers but the display was cancelled more than a month ago.
Instead, the city has set up outdoor dining precincts to celebrate its hospitality industry.
Melbourne has a forecast in the low 20s for Thursday and Brisbane, like Sydney, is expecting rain.
That’s in marked contrast to Adelaide, where sunny and hot conditions are forecast.
South Australians may have no more than 50 people at their house – whether indoors or outdoors – for New Year’s Eve.
A maximum of 200 people will be allowed at private outdoor gatherings.
A man films the Sydney Harbour on Thursday, ahead of the New Year’s Eve fireworks. The 9pm kids-friendly fireworks will not go ahead and people will need permits to enter zones at Circular Quay, North Sydney and the CBD
Crowds pack Circular Quay for the globally renown fireworks display in Sydney on December 31, 2019
‘Vantage point closed’: A digital warning sign is seen in Kirribilli ahead of the New Year’s Eve fireworks on December 31
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said revellers should still celebrate, but called on everyone to avoid kissing strangers, or the so-called ‘pash and dash’.
Canberra will drop its fireworks for the second year in a row, joining Adelaide and Brisbane in cancelling their displays.
Hobart’s fireworks will go ahead but like Sydney, people are being urged not to gather on the waterfront.
Tasmania Police said patrols would be conducted in the entertainment precincts of Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie to deter alcohol-related offences and violence.
Darwin residents will need to register and wear wristbands to attend the city’s two fireworks displays on Thursday night.
In marked contrast to the rest of the country, Perth’s celebrations will be nearly normal and there will be two fireworks displays.
But people are still being urged to register their details, stay socially distanced and use hand sanitiser.
There were no crowds under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Thursday as residents were told to stay at home for the New Year’s Eve fireworks
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