Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has announced New South Wales and Northern Territory borders will open to Kiwi travellers from October 16. Video / Sky News
Soaring temperatures and clear skies saw Sydney residents flock to the beach this weekend, with Bondi Beach packed with swimmers, sunbakers and surfers.
Signs at different entrances to the beach reminded visitors that Covid-19 public health orders were still in place and social distancing guidelines must be followed.
The majority of beachgoers appeared to follow social distancing rules, with many people spacing out along the grass and sand while enjoying the sun.
The majority of beachgoers appeared to follow social distancing rules. Photo / News Corp Australia
However, pictures show that some areas of the beach seemed to be more densely packed than others, with some people appearing to ignore the 1.5m social distancing rule.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said New South Wales was on track to record its 10th day of no community transmission, but warned people needed to continue to follow the rules.
"It's looking good but of course the community needs to take this seriously," he told Sunrise on Monday morning.
"They really need to keep in mind that complacency could turn this thing upside down very quickly."
Some parts of Bondi Beach were more densely packed than others. Photo / News Corp Australia
NSW recorded no new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases on Sunday, with two cases diagnosed in returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
Hazzard said the majority of people were adhering to social distancing rules.
"If we don't make sure that we have symptoms that we going get tested, then this could break loose. The community has been great but we need to keep it up," he said.
"I worry very much that people will become complacent and this virus is sneaky, it is among us."
Hazzard said 80 per cent of people don't show symptoms for Covid-19, warning that people need to understand there are still people that may be carrying the virus within the community.
"Until there is a vaccine, we need to treat everyone as if they potentially have it," he said.
Last month the NSW Government announced its Covid Safe Summer Plan, with officials outlining the strict new rules residents will have to follow if they want to enjoy the warm weather.
Keeping a "towel length" apart from others on the peach, social distancing markers at parks and diners spilling out on to the street were just some of the changed outlined in the plan.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government was working with health authorities, councils and businesses to strike the right balance between keeping the state open and controlling the coronavirus.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian unveiled the state's Covid Safe Summer Plan last month. Photo / News Corp Australia
"We know the outdoors is healthy, so long as you maintain your 1.5m distance and we want to encourage people to have a healthy lifestyle but also always think about being Covid-safe," Ms Berejiklian said during yesterday's press conference.
"We know how much our community loves fresh air, beaches and parklands, but we will all need to do that a bit differently this summer."
There are five main elements of NSW's Covid Safe Plan for summer, with the first two points focusing on introducing new restrictions and enforcing social distancing in public spaces.
Parklands in and around Greater Sydney will have social distancing markers and beachgoers will have to keep a "towel length" between themselves and others.
There will also be more sets of flags set up on patrolled beaches to give people more opportunity to practice social distancing.
The third element of the plan is having a series of events throughout the summer months, which will allow people to enjoy the warm weather in an organised, safe way.
"Whatever you are into, there will be something for you to do this summer," Stokes said.
The fourth part of the strategy is to work with local businesses to encourage alfresco dining and introduce more flexibility around increasing the amount of street space used for outdoor seating.
The final element of the plan revolves around working more closely with local councils to get the message out about how people can enjoy the summer in a Covid-safe way.
Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the aim was to get local councils to highlight public spaces that residents may not be aware of.
"We have huge amounts of open space, but often we don't even know exactly where it is in a local community," he said.
"So we're going to shine a spotlight on all the forgotten bits of parkland right across this beautiful city."
