Common questions about the rules

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

There is no daily limit to visitors to your home, so long as you don’t have more than 50 visitors at any one time. The total number of 50 visitors includes all adults, children and babies.

The limit applies whether you are indoors or outdoors (such as a backyard, courtyard or balcony) at your home. If you are unable to use an outdoor area NSW Health recommends keeping visitor numbers to no more than 30.

Some people (such as tradespeople or people responding to an emergency) who need to attend your home will not be counted as visitors.

If you have more than 50 visitors at your home, each visitor (not just the members of your household) may be fined for a breach of the public health order.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

You can have guests from any household so long as it does not exceed 50 visitors in total. 

If you have more than 50 visitors at your home, each visitor (not just the members of your household) may be fined for a breach of the public health order.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

If you are planning a party at home or at a cafe, restaurant or other venue, the limits are:

• 50 visitors at home (including adults, children and babies)
• 100 people in an outdoor public place
• 30 people at an individual table at a hospitality venue such as a restaurant, cafe, pub or club.

If you have more than 50 visitors at your home, each visitor (not just the members of your household) may be fined for a breach of the public health order.

No more than 100 people can gather outside in a public place which includes public parks, reserves, beaches, public gardens and spaces. 

Read more about outdoor public gatherings.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

COVID-19 can spread outdoors. However, transmission of COVID-19 is more common indoors, where

• there may be less space to physically distance
• people may come into contact with droplets (produced by sneezing or coughing) and airborne particles (produced by talking, singing and shouting) more easily. 

If you’re catching up with friends or family, choose an outdoor location if possible. You still need to practise good hand hygiene and maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from anyone you don’t live with.

Gathering outdoors reduces the risk of transmission of COVID-19 because infectious droplets and airborne particles are more quickly diffused in the open air than in spaces with less ventilation.

While UV radiation (sunlight) can assist by inactivating coronaviruses on surfaces – it does not kill them if they are already inside your body. The biggest benefit of being outdoors is that the fresh air diffuses droplets and airborne particles more quickly which means you are less likely to get infected if there is an infectious person present.

If gathering indoors opening windows and doors can help ventilate a room and more quickly diffuse any infectious droplets or airborne particles that may be present. This can help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

If you are planning to have a party on a bus or hire a bus to go to or from a party, the operator of the bus must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.

People from different households should maintain physical distancing.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

Hospitality venues can calculate the outdoor capacity for the venue based on one customer per 2 square metres provided the venue meets the requirements of their COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

See the latest on the requirements for travel to and from NSW. 

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

There are no restrictions on travelling within NSW. 

When travelling within NSW, you must comply with any rules that apply at your destination, such as the number of visitors allowed in a household. 

See the advice on transport, including travelling by public transport.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

If you become unwell you should get tested for COVID-19 and cancel or defer your travel plans until you receive a negative test result.

When travelling, try to maintain physical distancing wherever practical.

Practice good hand hygiene and use a face mask if you

• cannot maintain physical distancing
• are in crowded or poorly ventilated settings.

Take extra care if you’re around vulnerable people.

Outdoor settings generally present a lower risk of transmission than indoor settings. Try to arrange for holiday gatherings to take place outdoors as much as possible and comply with the limits and requirements for outdoor gatherings.

For information on border arrangements to protect Australia against COVID-19 visit the Department of Home Affairs website.

The number of people at a wedding or a gathering following a wedding service is subject to the one person per 2 square metres rule.

Get the latest information on the maximum number of people who can attend a wedding or gathering after a wedding and see the COVID-19 Safety Plan for weddings. 

If you will serve alcohol at your wedding, consider ways to encourage responsible use, such as limiting bar tabs or drink packages. Alcohol can only be consumed by seated patrons.

See the NSW Health group singing and musical ensemble advice.

Up to 50 people are permitted on an indoor dance floor at any time. 

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

The number of people who may attend a funeral or memorial service or a gathering following a funeral or memorial service, is subject to the one person per 2 square metres rule.

Get the latest information about the maximum number of people allowed at a funeral or memorial service or a gathering afterwards.  

Funeral organisers are encouraged to consider live streaming the service or providing a video link for those who cannot attend if they are ill, vulnerable, or face travel restrictions.

Venues for funerals should have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and be registered as COVID Safe. 

Precautions at the venue include

• physical distancing
• washing or sanitising your hands
• providing your name and contact details for the purpose of contact tracing if anyone at the funeral is diagnosed with COVID-19.

Find out more about safety precautions for

• serving food and drink
• live music performances
• seniors and vulnerable people.

If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, including sore throat, runny nose, cough, fever, muscle or joint pain, a change in taste or smell, or tiredness, you should not attend and get tested as soon as possible. 

Check the invitation for arrival and departure times as you may be asked to enter or exit at a particular time and use a specific doorway to reduce crowding. 

Places of worship and other venues should clearly display the conditions of entry 

• at the venue, at all entrance points
• on the organisation’s website and social media platforms.

Talk to the funeral director about alternatives to books, booklets, or other shared objects used during the service. For example, you might like to offer a digital guestbook so that attendees, friends and family can make contributions safely. 

If you do have a printed guestbook at the venue, you could ask guests to bring their own pen, or have a plan to clean any shared pens and the area around the book.

If you are planning for financial donations in memory of the person who has died, you can set up online or contactless transactions as alternatives to cash collections.

Find out about the restrictions in place for 

• Sydney's Northern Beaches
• Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong.

Australia has strict border measures in place and there are very limited flights available to and from Australia. There are restrictions on people coming from overseas and a quarantine period of at least 14 days at the port of arrival in Australia is mandatory, except for people who have been in New Zealand for the previous 14 days who fly into NSW.

Where possible, for the safety of all, make arrangements for a video link to the service or postpone mourning activities until travel arrangements have been confirmed.

Aged care residents are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and are more vulnerable to serious complications if they do become infected.

Staff and visitors who have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case must not attend the facility for 14 days from the time they last had contact with a case.

Anyone with a temperature of 37.5 degrees or higher, or symptoms of acute respiratory infection, must not enter or remain in a residential aged care facility.

Read NSW Health information for families and visitors

• aged care
• residential aged care facility residents
• NSW Health residential aged care services.

There are no specific restrictions for people over 70 about self-isolating or staying home. You can choose when you go out, where you visit, and when to have visitors. 

However, NSW Health advises that people over 70 or those with a pre-existing condition are at greater risk of more severe symptoms if they are infected with COVID-19.

For more information read our COVID-19

• advice for seniors 
• guidance for vulnerable people

See the NSW Education response to COVID-19 for the latest advice on school sports and activities. 

• Don’t go if you’re unwell, and instead get tested.
• Wash your hands regularly.
• If you’re a spectator, stay 1.5 metres apart or wear a mask if you can’t. This includes before, during and after sporting activities.
• Avoid carpools with people from different households where possible.
• Competitions should be run within your local district, zone or association boundaries, and inter-regional and state activities postponed.
• You may need to consult your local club or state sporting organisation or state sporting organisation for people with disability to determine whether your activities are affected by these recommendations.

State sporting organisations and sporting organisations for people with disabilities and other sector organisations should read the advice from NSW Health and determine how the recommendations and advice impact on their activities.

Visit the Office of Sport website. The advice from NSW Health will continue to be updated with further clarifications as the situation evolves.

See the information for sports and recreation activities and what you can and can’t do under the rules.

Find out more about COVID-19 Safety Plans for sport and recreation businesses and organisers

• Community sporting competitions and full training activities 
• Gyms
• Indoor recreation facilities including yoga, pilates and dance studios, martial arts training facilities recreation
• Swimming pools, saunas and spas.

Gym or recreation classes or sports activities must have no more than 50 participants including the instructor and any assistants, per class.  

There may be multiple classes in a room if there is enough space to accommodate this under the one person per 4 square metre rule and the classes remain separate.

When there are more than 25 people using the gym at the same time, there must be a COVID-19 Safety Hygiene Marshal on duty at the gym.

Do not go to training if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, however mild. Get tested and stay home until you have received your test results.  

Outdoor exercise classes such as bootcamps are allowed for up to 100 people.

Remember to

• practise good hygiene
• maintain physical distancing from people you do not live with. 

If you are unwell, get tested and stay home. 

Take care when using outdoor exercise and playground equipment by washing your hands before and after you use any equipment

Do not go out if you’re sick and maintain physical distancing from people you do not live with.

Remember that the public gathering rule of no more than 100 people applies.

Swimming pools can operate and must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Dance studios, gymnastics centres, martial arts training studios and other types of facilities involving parents and other spectators are required to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Spectators will be included in the one person per 2 square metres rule – so you may be asked to wait outside.

Check that the business has a COVID-19 Safety Plan and minimise your risk of getting COVID-19 by:

• taking your own water bottle, towel and mat, if possible
• wiping down any piece of equipment before and after you use it with disinfectant wipes or detergent
• using contactless payment options for any purchases
• changing clothes and showering at home, rather than at the gym, is also recommended.

If you have any symptoms, even if mild, get tested and self-isolate.

Gyms, dance studios, martial arts centres and other fitness businesses are required to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and keep names and contact details for the purpose of contact tracing.

If a positive case of COVID-19 is confirmed to have visited the premises, the business is required to cooperate with NSW to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Download the COVIDSafe app and keep it running if possible.

NSW Health has developed guidance to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission when singing, chanting or performing music.

Find out more about 

• group singing and musical ensemble advice
• outdoor music performances and rehearsals
• nightclubs.

You can meet up with people outdoors for a picnic or celebration as long as there are no more than 100 people in total if they are from different households. The total number includes all adults and children. 

Remember to

• practise good hygiene
• maintain physical distancing from people you don't live with.

If you are unwell, get tested and stay home. 

Each business can make decisions about what makes the most sense for them in light of the most recent easing of restrictions.

It is up to the business.

Get the latest information about the maximum number of people allowed to attend hospitality venues and events at hospitality venues.

• Venues must assign one staff member as a COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal who will be in distinctive clothing (such as a shirt or badge) and responsible for ensuring all aspects of the COVID-19 Safety Plan are being adhered to including overseeing social distancing, cleaning and ensuring the accuracy of record keeping. 
• Large hospitality venues with a capacity of more than 250 people must have a COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal on duty whenever the venue is open.
• A COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal during peak periods is recommended for smaller hospitality venues with a capacity of less than 250 people.
• Gyms must have a COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal when there are more than 25 people using the gym at the same time.

• All customers (unless only collecting takeaway) must sign in by providing accurate contact details (name and phone number or email address) and their time of entry.
• Electronic check-in (such as QR codes) is mandatory at hospitality venues. 
• The COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal should ensure the accuracy and legibility of records.

People from different households should maintain physical distancing.

• Move or remove tables and seating to support 1.5 metres of physical distance where possible.
• Reduce crowding and promote physical distancing with markers on the floor where people are asked to queue, such as at a bar.

Minimise hygiene risks by avoiding the sharing of food and drink such as:

• self-serve buffet style service areas
• communal snacks
• communal condiments
• communal cutlery, implements and serviettes
• sharing cigarettes or e-cigarettes. 

Generous or even unlimited bar tabs could lead to people drinking so much alcohol that they forget the safe practices that help protect them and their loved ones from COVID-19.

Breach of orders made under the Public Health Act 2010 is a criminal offence and attracts heavy penalties.

In the case of an individual, the maximum penalty is $11,000, or imprisonment for 6 months, or both and a further $5500 penalty may apply for each day the offence continues. The NSW Police may also issue on-the-spot fines of $1000 for an offence.

Any business found in breach of the Public Health Orders could face a penalty of up to $55,000 and a further $27,500 penalty may apply for each day an offence continues. On-the-spot fines can also be issued.

Anyone in the community can report public health order breaches via CrimeStoppers.