Australian State records 44 new community cases, tightens lockdown rules

Stay at home rules

 

From 6pm on Saturday 26 June, the stay at home direction applies to people who live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas until 11:59pm on Friday 16 July 2021.

When the stay at home rules apply

Stay at home rules apply if you were in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour on or after Monday 21 June 2021,

You must follow the stay at home rules for 14 days from the date you left the area.

Overseas arrivals and people who have quarantined

You do not need to follow the stay at home rules for 14 days after leaving Greater Sydney if

• you have quarantined (at a residence, hotel quarantine or medical facility) and completed your 14 days in isolation in Greater Sydney
• you leave Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour) as soon as possible after the end of your isolation period
• you travel out of Greater Sydney by a private vehicle (not public transport, taxi or ride share) by the most direct route possible or you travel directly to Sydney Airport and fly out of Greater Sydney
• you do not enter any premises in Greater Sydney, where possible
• you wear a mask and stay 1.5 metres away from any other person while in Greater Sydney
• you get a COVID-19 test 2 days after leaving isolation.

Reasonable excuse to leave home

A reasonable excuse is if you need to

• obtain food or other goods and services
  • for the personal needs of the household or for other household purposes (including pets)
  • for vulnerable people
  • if the food or goods and services are not available in the local government area that you live in
• travel for work or education if it is not possible to do it at home
• exercise and take outdoor recreation in Greater Sydney
• go out for medical or caring reasons, including obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination
• donate blood
• access childcare
• continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children
• attend a funeral
• provide care or assistance (including personal care) to a vulnerable person or to provide emergency assistance
• access social services, employment services, services provided to victims (including as victims of crime), domestic violence services, and mental health services
• move to a new place of residence, or between your different places of residence
• undertake legal obligations
• avoid injury or illness or to escape the risk of harm
• in case of emergencies
• for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not necessarily live together
• to provide pastoral care if you are a priest, minister of religion or member of a religious order.

Taking a holiday is not a reasonable excuse.

Face masks

The requirement to wear a face mask in all indoor areas of non-residential premises that was recently applied in Greater Sydney has been extended to all of NSW.

As well as wearing a face mask in all indoor areas, you must also wear a face mask

• at certain outdoor gatherings
• if you are on public transport
• in a major recreation facility such as a stadium or
• if you are working in a hospitality venue.

Visiting Greater Sydney

You must not enter Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour without a reasonable excuse.

Reasonable excuses for entering the area also includes

• returning to your home if you live in Greater Sydney
• travelling to Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour from another place in NSW to get vaccinated if you meet the requirements.

You cannot take a holiday in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

Visitors to a residence in Greater Sydney

Generally, visiting another person is not a reasonable excuse to leave your home.

You must not allow a person to visit your home, except in certain circumstances

• for work
• for childcare
• to give effect to arrangements between parents and children under 18 or their siblings
• to assist a person to move places of residence
• to avoid an injury or serious risk of harm
• because of an emergency
• to view or inspect property to lease or purchase it.

Caring and compassionate visits

You are allowed to visit a home and have a person visit your home for the purposes of caring, providing care to vulnerable persons or for compassionate reasons, including where 2 people are in a relationship but do not live together.

Only 1 person may visit a place of residence to fulfil carers’ responsibilities, provide care or assistance to vulnerable persons, and for compassionate reasons at any one time. You may bring a dependent child with you, if they need supervision and childcare arrangements are not reasonably available.

Working from home

All of NSW

Employers must allow an employee to work from home if it is reasonably practicable to do so.

If you cannot work from home and you go to your workplace, you must wear a face mask (unless an exemption applies).

Children and parenting

Under the stay at home rules, accessing childcare is considered a reasonable excuse to leave your home.

Vacation care and childcare will continue in Greater Sydney and throughout NSW.

If your child is booked to attend a vacation camp or other activities during the holiday period, contact the operator for any changes to arrangements.

Find out more about the COVID-19 safety measures.

• Department of Education: advice for families
• Early childhood education and care services

Related information

• Common questions about children and parenting.

Places of worship

Services may be live-streamed from a church, meeting house, mosque, synagogue, temple or other places of worship that is not open to members of the public.

You can attend the premises if you are directly involved in the service or the operation of the equipment for the Livestream event. Find out about the rules that apply to singing in a place of public worship during a live-streamed event.

The place of worship must not be open to members of the public.

Weddings

From Monday 28 June 2021

From 28 June 2021 onwards, you will not be able to:

• enter Greater Sydney to hold or attend a wedding
• leave your place of residence to attend a wedding if you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in Greater Sydney.

Funerals

Funerals can continue to take place in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour with up to 100 people.

Attending a funeral of up to 100 people is a reasonable excuse to leave home and to enter Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

If you live in Greater Sydney, you cannot participate in a funeral or memorial service, or a gathering after a funeral or memorial service at a place of residence.

Outdoor gatherings

Greater Sydney

If you are in the Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour, you must not participate in an outdoor public gathering of more than 10 people, unless you are:

• working or attending a university or other tertiary education facility
• providing care or assistance to vulnerable persons
• gathering with your household
• gathering for a funeral
• providing emergency assistance to a person
• fulfilling a legal obligation
• moving home or moving your business to a new premises.

Exemptions

The following gatherings are also exempt from the 10 person outdoor gathering limit:

• gathering at an airport
• transportation including vehicles, truck stops, stations, platforms and stops but not including vehicles being used as a party bus
• hospitals or other medical or health service facilities
• emergency services
• prisons, correctional facilities, youth justice centres or other places of custody
• disability or aged care facilities
• courts or tribunals
• supermarkets, food markets or groceries
• shopping centres
• retail stores
• office buildings, farms, factories, warehouses, mines, constructions sites, commercial fishing operations and commercial vessels (excluding vessels providing tours or hosting functions)
• schools, universities, other educational institutions and childcare facilities
• hotel, motel or other accommodation facilities
• outdoor thoroughfares
• services to assist vulnerable members of the public
• early education and care facilities.

Community sport

You can take part in exercising or outdoor recreational activities that comply with

• the gathering rules (no more than 10 people outdoors)
• the premises that are required to be closed.

However, no community sport (whether training or a match) in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour should proceed.

See the advice on sport and recreation.

Temporary or holiday accommodation

Greater Sydney

If you are staying in temporary accommodation in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour – including in short-term or holiday accommodation – you may stay at your accommodation until your booking expires.

When your booking expires, you may leave your accommodation to return to

• your place of residence or
• other accommodation.

While you are staying here, you must continue to comply with the stay at home direction.

Places that are closed

Greater Sydney

The following places in Greater Sydney are directed to be closed to the public.

• • Pubs and registered clubs except for
    • selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and
    • providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person’s room.
  • Food and drink premises, except for
    • selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site
    • selling food to be consumed in a person’s room if in a hotel or motel
    • if the premises are part of a shopping centre, selling food or beverages for people to consume outside of the shopping centre
    • holding a funeral in accordance with relevant restrictions.
  • Entertainment facilities, such as theatres, cinemas, music halls, concert halls and dance halls.
  • Amusement centres, such as places to play billiards, pool, pinball machines or video games.
  • Micro-breweries or small distilleries holding a drink on-premises authorisation under the Liquor Act 2007 or cellar door premises, except for selling food or beverages for people to consume off the premises.
  • Indoor recreation facilities such as squash courts, indoor swimming pools, gyms, table tennis centres, health studios, bowling alleys and ice rinks.
  • Places of public worship, except for the purposes of conducting a funeral service.
  • Hairdressers, spas, nail salons, beauty salons, waxing salons, tanning salons, tattoo parlours, massage parlours.
  • Auction houses
  • Betting agencies and gaming lounges
  • Markets, except for food markets
  • Caravan parks and camping grounds, except for
    • permanent residents or other people who have no other place of permanent residence, and their visitors
    • people who were staying there on Friday 25 June 2021 and have not extended their booking
    • local workers and overnight travellers.
  • Sex on premises services
  • Sex services premises
  • Strip clubs
  • Public swimming pools (except natural swimming pools, which may open)
  • National Trust properties and Historic Houses Trust of NSW properties (other than retail shops)
  • Nightclubs
  • Casinos, except for selling food or beverages for people to consume off-site and providing accommodation, including allowing food and drinks to be consumed in a person’s room.