Sydney's Northern Beaches cluster has risen to 128 cases. Photo / Supplied
Sydney's Northern Beaches cluster has risen to 128 cases. Photo / Supplied
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced five new cases of coronavirus, all linked to the Northern Beaches cluster.
On Sunday, the state recorded seven new cases, with nine reported the day before. The cluster now sits at 128.
Meanwhile, New Year's Eve is set to look vastly different in Sydney, with changes to the city's vibrant annual fireworks display which usually attracts an estimated 1 million revellers to Sydney Harbour.
Instead, this year's display will be a crowdless affair.
While the fireworks will go ahead, they can no longer be watched from the foreshore unless a person has a restaurant or hospitality booking with a good vantage point – and a permit from Service NSW to get into the city.
"You cannot come to the CBD on New Year's Eve unless you have a booking from a hospitality venue, but even if you have a booking, you have to get a permit through Service New South Wales to prove you got that booking," Berejiklian said.
Sydney's NYE fireworks display this year will be a crowdless affair. Photo / Twitter: @ajplus
"We know it's not the New Year's Eve all of us hoped it would be. But that's okay and we want 2021 to be better than 2020," the Premier said.
"Again, apologies for being so strict, but we want to make sure that we don't have a super spreading event on New Year's Eve which then spoils it for everybody across the state."
Residents of Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong will be restricted to having no more than 10 people in their home through New Year's Eve.
There are also new restrictions to outdoor gatherings across Greater Sydney, with gatherings now limited to 50 people rather than 100.
While stay-at-home provisions will stay in place until January 9 for Northern Beaches residents, the Premier announced a temporary easing of the rules.
"On New Year's Eve, you will have some relief. You'll be able to have up to five people into your home including children, but again they have to be from the northern zone," she said.
With respect to the southern zone of the Northern Beaches, Berejiklian said "we are still going to have to ask you of the stay-at-home provisions until the 2nd of January".
NSW restrictions explained. Image / News Corp Australia
She said the restrictions will be assessed on the morning of January 2 despite Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan calling for residents in the southern zone to be freed from lockdown.
"Unless there's new evidence or something we're not cognisant of regarding the origins and spread of the cluster, the communities who reside in the southern parts of the [Northern Beaches] should absolutely have the same freedoms as Greater Sydney," Regan said.
Police in NSW have issued 15 infringement notices since Christmas Eve to Sydneysiders who have broken Covid-19 restrictions and two businesses have also received fines.
