What is allowed
- travel to regional NSW for a holiday
- visits to museums, galleries and libraries
- pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants can have up to 50 customers
- beauty and nail salon operators can begin treatments
- worship, weddings and funerals – up to 20 people can attend weddings, 50 at funerals and 50 at places of worship.
Upcoming changes
From Saturday 13 June, the following activities will be allowed, with the 4 square metre rule applied at all times.
Sports and recreation
Fitness, gyms, pilates, yoga and dance studios can reopen with up to 10 people per class and 100 people in an indoor venue.
Community centres, including their recreational facilities can reopen.
Some indoor recreational facilities including pools and saunas can reopen with restricted numbers.
Personal services
Tattoo and massage parlours can reopen with up to 10 clients.
Reopening of dance, gyms and sporting facilities
Current restrictions
For businesses that can open, each business owner can make decisions about what makes the most sense for their situation. Employers must allow employees to work from home where it is reasonably practical to do so.
COVID-19 Safety Plans
Find out about developing a COVID-19 Safety Plan for your business.
Bars, pubs, clubs, breweries and casinos
Open with restrictions
Pubs, clubs, small bars, cellar doors, micro-breweries, small distilleries and casinos may open with restrictions.
- Capacity must not exceed 50 customers or one customer per 4 square metres (excluding staff) per existing separate seated food or drink area, whichever is the lesser. Venues may have multiple existing seated areas.
- Bowlers on a bowling green are not be counted in the total number of persons on the premises. There can be no more than 10 bowlers on a bowling green at any one time.
- Maximum of 10 people per booking (except for gatherings for or immediately after a wedding which are permitted to a maximum of 20 guests, or gatherings immediately after a funeral or memorial service which are permitted to a maximum of 50 guests, provided that the venue can accommodate this many people).
- Anyone entering the premises must provide their name and contact details, including a telephone number or email address.
- Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and keep a record of all people entering the premises.
Beauty, nail, waxing and tanning salons
Open with restrictions
Salons offering nail, waxing, tanning and beauty services may open with restrictions.
- Capacity must not exceed 10 customers or one customer per 4 square metres (including staff members) on the premises, whichever is the lesser.
- Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Cafes, restaurants and food courts
Open with restrictions
Cafes and restaurants may open with restrictions.
- Capacity must not exceed 50 customers or one customer per 4 square metres in an existing seated dining area, whichever is the lesser.
- Bookings can only be to a maximum of 10 people.
Anyone entering the premises must provide their name and contact details, including a telephone number or email address. - Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and keep a record of all people entering the premises.
- Tables and chairs in food courts are not to be used for the consumption of food or drinks.
Caravan parks and camping grounds
Open
Caravan and camping grounds may open.
- There is no limit to the number of customers in the park or grounds however premises must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
- If you are visiting someone who is staying at a caravan park or camping ground, limits apply for visitors.
- If you are visiting a national park camp ground you must book ahead.
Community centres
Open with restrictions
Community centres can only open (with no capacity limitations) to provide a service to assist vulnerable members of the public as an early education and care facility.
Community centres can also open for counselling or support group services. Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres including staff members.
Cultural buildings, libraries, galleries and museums
Open with restrictions
Cultural buildings that provide information and education facilities such as libraries, galleries and museums may open with restrictions.
Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres including staff members.
Any indoor cinema, theatre or theatrette must be closed.
Each facility must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
National Trust or Historic Houses Trust properties may open with restrictions.
Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres including staff members.
Each property must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Education and childcare
Open
Childcare facilities, schools, universities, TAFE and educational colleges may open.
Entertainment and amusement centres
Open with restrictions
Aquariums, zoos and reptile parks may open with restrictions.
- Any indoor cinema on the premises must remain closed.
- Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres excluding animal enclosures.
- Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Betting agencies may open with restrictions.
- Capacity must not exceed 10 customers or one customer per 4 square metres (excluding staff members), whichever is the lesser.
- Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Drive-in cinemas may open with no capacity limitation.
- Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Closed
Any other amusement centre or entertainment facility is closed.
Funerals and memorial services
Allowed with some restrictions
Up to 50 people may attend a funeral or memorial service.
The limit to the number of people who may attend includes adults and children and excludes the people necessary to conduct the service or assist in the conduct of the service such as the funeral director and their staff.
People attending the service will be required to supply their name and contact details so that they can be used for contact tracing.
Hairdressers and barbers
Open
Hairdressing salons and barbers may open with restrictions. Businesses must comply with the 4 square metre rule.
Healthcare
Open
Healthcare products and services may open including
- chemists
- dental services
- doctors
- hospitals or medical centres
- physiotherapists
- remedial or therapeutic massage service providers
- other healthcare providers as listed in the NSW Public Health Act including speech therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture services.
Hotels and accommodation
Open
Accommodation services are able to be offered without restriction, except holiday rentals which are subject to restrictions.
Legal and justice
Open with exceptions
Court and tribunal proceedings will be conducted without the need for attending where possible.
All social visits to NSW prisons, correctional facilities, youth justice centres and other places of custody have been temporarily suspended.
Arrangements are in place for people reporting to Community Corrections offices.
Markets
Closed
Markets (excepting food markets) are closed.
National parks and state forests
Open
National parks and state forests in NSW may open with no capacity limitations.
If you are visiting a national park or state forest, avoid busy areas. You must practice physical distancing and remain at least 1.5m from any other person not from your household.
Personal services
Closed
Massage and tattoo parlours cannot provide services however they can open to sell products and gift vouchers. This applies to any business premises, regardless of whether it operates in a retail outlet or in a private home. Businesses must comply with the 4 square metre rule.
Strip clubs and sex services premises are closed.
Real estate and auctions
Open
Real estate agents and property vendors may hold open house property inspections and on-site auctions.
To help keep everyone safe, agents and vendors should follow health guidance for the industry and ensure people with any symptoms of illness do not attend a property.
Auction houses
Open with restrictions
The 4 square metre rule applies and the number of persons allowed on premises is restricted to 100 people indoors or 500 people outdoors.
Auction houses that conduct auctions for goods other than food, livestock, fibre or real estate must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Retail stores
Open with restrictions
Retail stores can open. Businesses must comply with the 4 square metre rule.
Sports and recreation
Activities allowed
- Public gatherings of up to 10 people.
- Use of outdoor equipment in public places, with caution.
- Recreational activities such as fishing and hunting.
- Outdoor activities including the use of skate parks and BMX bike tracks.
- Outdoor sporting competitions where no more than 10 people in total are gathered including players, referees/umpires, coaches, spectators or others.
- Golf is permitted where no more than 10 people are gathered.
- Lawn bowling is allowed providing public health order conditions are met including that:
there are only 10 people on a bowling green at any one time (excluding staff and game officials)
physical distancing is maintained - the licensee records the name and phone number of each player and records are kept for 4 weeks.
Activities not allowed
- Indoor sporting events.
- Local sporting competitions involving more than 10 people.
Closed or restricted
Indoor recreation facilities such as squash courts, gyms, table tennis centres, health studios, bowling alleys and ice rinks are closed.
Indoor public swimming pools are closed except for:
- squad training in swimming pools that are 25 metres or more long, where there is only one person per lane, and no more than 10 people in the pool at one time.
- Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres.
Public outdoor swimming pools may open with restrictions:
- Capacity must not exceed one person per 4 square metres including staff members.
- No more than 10 people are allowed in the pool at one time.
Major recreation facilities such as stadiums, theme parks, showgrounds and motor racing tracks are limited to 10 persons on the premises excluding workers.
Kids’ sport and community sport competitions can restart for those aged 18 years and under from Wednesday 1 July 2020.The return date for adult community sport activities will be made at a later stage.
Travel, holiday homes and holiday rentals
Allowed
- There are no limitations to travelling within NSW.
- You may travel to regional NSW for a holiday.
- Up to ten people may stay in a holiday home or holiday rental. More than ten people can stay in a holiday home or holiday rental if they are all members of the same household.
Visiting family and friends
Allowed
- Up to 5 visitors may visit another household at any one time. The total number of visitors includes adults and children.
- There is no daily limit to visitors to your home, so long as you don’t have more than 5 visitors at any one time.
- If you are over 70 or have a pre-existing medical condition, you should limit the number of visitors and take care at all times.
- You can have guests from any household so long as it does not exceed 5 visitors in total.
- An overnight stay as part of a visit to someone’s house is allowed.
- Some people who need to attend your home will not be counted as visitors.
People who are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection include:
- people aged 70 years and over
- people aged 65 years and over with chronic medical conditions
- people with a compromised immune system
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 50 years and older with one or more chronic medical conditions.
- If you are in one of these groups, follow the guidance for vulnerable people.
Volunteering
Allowed
There are no restrictions on volunteering for a charity.
Foodbanks and homeless shelters have not been closed.
Weddings
Allowed with restrictions
- In addition to the couple, the people conducting or assisting in the conduct of the wedding, a photographer, videographer, and up to 20 guests (including adults and children) may attend a wedding.
- People attending will be required to provide their name and contact details so that they can be used for contact tracing.
Working from home
Allowed
Employers must allow employees to work from home where it is reasonably practical to do so.
Worship and religious gatherings
Allowed with restrictions
- A maximum of 50 people (adults and children) can attend a religious service at a place of worship, plus the people necessary to conduct or assist in the conduct of, the service.
- A maximum of 50 people can attend a place of worship for private worship however the capacity must not exceed 4 square metres per person. The maximum applies to the whole of the venue, even where men and women worship in separate areas.
- Services can be streamed or recorded to enable people to engage in worship.
- People attending a religious service at a place of public worship will be required to provide their name and contact details when they enter so that they can be used for contact tracing.
