Sydney Is Getting Eased Lockdown Restrictions Over The Next Three Days, So Merry Fkn Christmas

Lockdown restrictions across greater Sydney, and in the Northern Beaches in particular, will be relaxed slightly over Christmas because we’ve done such a great job at containing this new outbreak.

Over the Christmas period from Thursday to Saturday, the 10-person guest limit will no include kids under 12. That means you can invite 10 adult relos over for lunch, for example, and not worry about how many kids will be there.

However the rules will revert back to including kids after Christmas is over, and they can’t be bent to accommodate big families, either.

“You can’t have different rosters, having one half of the family in the morning and the other half in the evening. Not possible,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian added.

Restrictions on the Northern Beaches will also be eased slightly after the state recorded just eight new locally-acquired cases for the second day in a row.

The current Northern Beaches lockdown area, which starts north of the Spit Bridge, will be effectively split into two.

Everyone south of the Narrabeen Bridge, which includes areas like Narrabeen, Dee Why and Manly, will also be able to have 10 guests over during the Christmas period from Thursday to Saturday, just like the rest of Sydney.

People from other parts of Sydney will be allowed to visit this area for Christmas, although residents won’t be able to leave the area themselves. So if you’ve got family in Manly, for example, it looks like they’ll be hosting this year.

“Whilst we appreciate the modest changes we’ve made over the next three days, we also accept and respect the fact that many families and individuals may choose not to take up that opportunity because of concerns they may have for vulnerable members of their family, or because they’re worried about acquiring or the virus or contributing to transmission,” Berejiklian said.

“We ask everybody to make those assessments.”

Meanwhile, everyone north of the Narrabeen bridge, such as people in Avalon or Newport, will only be able to have five guests over. Unfortunately, outsiders won’t be allowed into the area to visit.

In the past 24 hours, over 40,000 people have been tested for COVID-19, which is around four times the usual amount.

Honestly, that’s a mammoth effort and not to be all sappy and idealistic, but everyone in Sydney should be so proud of how we’ve handled this recent outbreak.

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