Greater Sydney Lockdown: From 26 June 2021

Everyone in Greater Sydney must now stay home unless you have a reasonable excuse.

From 6pm on Saturday 26 June 2021, if you have been in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour for any reason since Monday 21 June 2021, you must follow the stay at home rules and must continue to follow them for 14 days after you were last in Greater Sydney.

If you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in Greater Sydney you must also follow the stay at home rules, unless you have not been in Greater Sydney for the last 14 days.

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 the local government area that you live in
• 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 wedding or 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

A person 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.

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

Visitors to a residence

If you are in Greater Sydney, you must comply with the stay at home rules. If you want to visit another person you will need a reasonable excuse to be away from your place of residence.

A visitor does not include a person at the place of residence who is there

• for work or attend a university or other tertiary education facility
• for childcare
• as a carer
• to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
• 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
• for compassionate reasons
• to view or inspect property to lease or purchase it.

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).

Weddings

Until the end of Sunday 27 June 2021

Weddings can continue to take place in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour until the end of 27 June 2021.

Attending a wedding before the end of 27 June 2021 is a reasonable excuse to leave home.

If you live in, usually work in, or usually attend a university or other tertiary education facility in the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, and Randwick local government areas, you may leave those areas if the wedding is in Greater Sydney and before the end of 27 June 2021.

The 10 person limit to outdoor gatherings does not apply to weddings before the end of 27 June 2021.

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.

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 wedding or 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 uses 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

Community sport (whether training or a match) in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour can only proceed if it complies with the rules about outdoor public gatherings and premises that are directed to be closed.

This will mean that most community sport cannot go ahead in Greater Sydney.

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 wedding or 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 wedding or 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.
• 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.

Exemptions

Your premises may stay open if it is

• used to provide a service to vulnerable people (such as a food bank or homeless shelter)
• an early education and care facility
• used for a wedding that ends before 27 June 2021
• used for a funeral of 100 people or less.

Real estate auctions and open inspections

Greater Sydney

The following activities must not take place in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.

• Auctions that people attend in person.
• Open inspections of properties, although inspections may be conducted by private appointment for one person only.

If you are a real estate agent or a prospective purchaser and you 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, you must follow the stay at home rules.

If you are a real estate agent or a prospective purchaser and you do not 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, the NSW rules apply.