As 2021 gains steam, NSW has gradually eased restrictions one by one. First, we were allowed to gather in homes in bigger groups, and last week, 'vertical consumption' was back in bars. Come Monday, March 29, a whole new host of restrictions will ease across the state. Banished be our reputation as the town in Footloose: singing and dancing is back in all its forms, including in religious spaces (of which, surely, the club is also one) without any restrictions on numbers.
You'll also be able to host as many people in your home as you want – but if you're Corey Worthington type who can fit more than 100 people in your house, then you'll have to have a safety plan in place and record visitor details electronically. Plus, attendee limits have been scrapped for weddings and funerals. If you're gathering outside, you'll be capped at a maximum of 200 people.
Other notable rule rollbacks? Venues will be able to host one person per two square metres (this comes into effect after there are 25 people in a venue to begin with) and entertainment sites, arts venues and theatres will be able to hold their normal 100 percent capacity. Plus, masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport (though they are still strongly recommended, especially if you can't socially distance).
So what does this mean for the future of fun in Sydney? "It means good social distancing, most importantly," NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian urged as she announced the changes. "It means registering QR codes wherever we go. That is the key to our success."
"If there is an outbreak and we can’t identify all the people in a particular venue, we will be having to go backwards again and I don’t want to see that happen. We are doing really well."