How fears of a super-spreader event have shut down New Year's Eve with kissing BANNED and Sydney and Melbourne's fireworks off limits - here are the rules in your state

Fears that New Year's Eve celebrations could turn into a coronavirus super-spreader event has led to a ban on kissing and will see a heavy police presence across inner Sydney.

While most states will be able to enjoy relatively normal celebrations, an ongoing Covid-19 outbreak on Sydney's Northern Beaches has triggered strict limits surrounding the city's world-famous fireworks display.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged revellers to show 'restraint' and avoid kissing and hugging people not from their household - or even singing - while ringing in the New Year. 

Access to the Sydney Harbour foreshore for the fireworks will be banned, the city centre will be off-limits to all but residents and those with existing bookings at restaurtants and pubs, and further measures in the enforcement plan would be announced on Tuesday.

NSW recorded five new local COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, at least four of which connected to the 126-strong Avalon cluster which began earlier in December.

Residents in the Northern Beaches - the epicentre of the current outbreak - will have to kick off 2021 at home after NSW authorities extended stay-at-home orders. 

But things are very different in neighbouring states, with unlimited parties allowed in Australian Capital Territory and 50 allowed on a dancefloor in Victoria.

However Melbourne has cancelled its fireworks display centred on the Yarra River between the CBD and Southbank.

Instead the city will host a 'Street Feasts' event in which much of the CBD will be turned into a series of outdoor dining zones on Thursday and Friday. 

For Queensland, house parties of up to 50 are allowed and in Western Australia firework displays are going ahead as normal. 

The iconic 12-minute midnight firework display has been shortened to seven minutes this year to save money during the pandemic (pictured, celebrations ringing in 2020)

From 5pm on Thursday, only residents with bookings at restaurants or hotels under a permit system will be allowed to enter fireworks vantage points in the CBD and lower north shore, including Circular Quay (pictured on NYE 2019) and Milsons Point

An announcement will be made on Tuesday regarding NSW Police's heavy presence and enforcement plan to limit large gatherings on New Year's Eve (pictured, shoppers on Pitt St)

Over in NSW on New Year's Eve, the northern zone of the Northern Beaches are limited to just five guests including children inside homes. In the southern zone, below the Narrabeen Bridge, the limit is 10 people from the same zone per house. 

As part of the harbour foreshore bans, a previous plan to give prime viewing spots to emergency workers who were involved in fighting the bushfires last summer has been abandoned.

From 5pm on Thursday, only residents with bookings at restaurants or hotels under a permit system will be allowed to enter popular fireworks vantage points in the CBD and lower north shore, including Circular Quay and Milsons Point.  

North Sydney, the Inner West, Hunters Hill and Woollahra councils will also close other vantage points that sit outside of the permit zone - with a heavy police presence on patrol to stop spontaneous gatherings.

The state government is telling people to stay at home and watch the shortened seven-minute show at midnight to usher in 2021 on television.

Ms Berejiklian urged partygoers to be sensible, avoid large gatherings and locking lips with strangers.  

'When the clock ticks over to midnight from December 31 January 1, I know that's normally an emotional time where we like to kiss and hug everybody around us. Can I ask for absolute restraint,' she said.  

Restrictions around the country on New Year's Eve  

New South Wales 

New South Wales New South Wales

The CBD frontline worker fireworks vantage point offering is cancelled. 

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged revellers to show restraint and not kiss or hug people outside of their household.  

Hospitality venues in Greater Sydney will remain open but must adhere to the one person per four square metres rule. Dancing is again banned. 

Council events may continue but they must be controlled and seated with no mingling, and record keeping requirements must be strictly adhered to.

A short, seven minute fireworks display will continue at midnight. 

Unless you have a New Year's Eve Pass through Service NSW, you will not be able to enter designated zones around Circular Quay, North Sydney and the City.

For the Northern Beaches peninsula zone, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be allowed for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but will be restricted to five visitors in total from within your zone (and includes at homes). 

For the southern zone of the Northern Beaches, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be allowed for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but will be restricted to 10 visitors in total from within your zone (and includes at homes). 

Victoria

A maximum of 30 visitors are allowed inside homes per day. This means if 30 guests are inside a house at midnight, the quota for January 1 has been used up.

There's no limit to how many households those 30 people can come from and infants under one-year-old are not included in the cap.

Melbourne's annual firework display has been cancelled to minimise the spread of Covid in the recently liberated city.

Dancing at night clubs will also be allowed, subject to the one person per 4 square metres, with a maximum of 50 people. 

Queensland

Brisbane residents are welcome to visit the city's 2,000 parks for barbecues and other end of year celebrations. 

Dancing is allowed in all venues, with one person per two square metres allowed on the dancefloor. 

Up to 50 people can party in any home, with 100 people allowed outside. 

Revellers aren't allowed to consume alcohol in public parks, and there will be increased security.

Annual fireworks displays on the Sunshine Coast and South Bank in Brisbane have been cancelled.   

Redcliffe Markets are hosting a family friendly event with live music and fireworks at 7:30pm and 9pm. 

Tasmania

The 9:30 pm and midnight fireworks will go ahead from the middle of the River Derwent.

The fireworks displays will be higher so that each show will be visible from more vantage points throughout the Clarence and Hobart local government areas.

The Taste of Tasmania and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race have both been cancelled. 

Waterfront restaurants and bars will be operating in accordance with Tasmanian Government COVID-19 guidelines to provide for public safety. Locals are encouraged to book ahead.

Western Australia

Perth's New Year's Eve fireworks and events along the famous Swan River, Rottnest Island, Mandurah and on the banks of the Cannington River will go ahead as planned.

The city's 15th annual Feel Alive Again music and culture festival will be pushed back until March 6, 2021. 

'COVID-19 Event Conditions would compromise the quality of event and limit interactions and the overall event experience expected from Origin Fields,' organisers said. 

There is no limit to the number of guests Western Australians residents are allowed in their homes, as long as there is no more than one person per 2 sq m.

There is also no limit on the number allowed at public gatherings as long as there is at least 2 sq m of space a person. 

South Australia 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, bookings are essential for most functions and many have already sold out.

Venues in SA can allow dancing and drinking at the same time at private functions of up to 200 people.

To be eligible to allow dancing and drinking at the same time, venues must cap patrons at 200 and pre-sell tickets to all events.

South Australian residents can have up to 50 guests in their home. 

Northern Territory

In the Top End, patrons can dance at any venue. 

Up to 7,000 people are expected to flock to Darwin's Waterfront for its New Year's Eve event.

There's no limit to how many people can gather indoors or outdoors in the NT, but people should keep 1.5 metres from those from other households.   

ACT

The annual New Year's Eve fireworks and concert in Canberra have been cancelled - the second time in a row following last year's cancellation due to bushfire smoke.

Venues can have one person per two-square-metres on the dancefloor, with a maximum of 25 people.

There is no limit on household visitors. 

New South Wales 

'As difficult as that it is, we ask people to refrain because that could be a super-spreading event … especially in the CBD.

'Mingling, singing, dancing … these are all highly contagious ways of spreading the virus... we don't want to create any super-spreading events on New Year's Eve.'

Restrictions for households in greater Sydney and regional NSW will remain largely unchanged around New Year's Eve but outdoor gatherings in greater Sydney have been tightened to a maximum of 50 people, down from 100. 

Greater Sydney and the rest of the state can invite 10 guests into their home. 

The changes to congregating outdoors for greater Sydney come after several large Christmas gatherings were reported, including a large North Bondi house party and unauthorised parties at Bronte and Centennial Park.

Thousands of firefighters, nurses and other frontline workers from across the state were due to watch the fireworks around the Harbour Bridge as a reward for their hard work during such a difficult year - but Ms Berejiklian said another time will be found to thank them.

The iconic 12-minute midnight firework display, which is normally attended by a million people and watched around the world as the first major display to welcome the New Year, has been shortened to seven minutes this year.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged residents who want to throw a small party at home to consider hosting barbecues outside instead, as Covid-19 is far less likely to spread in outside and well-ventilated areas rather than closed spaces. 

'If you can have a barbecue or go to a park or you got an area such as a reserve, that is a safer environment than having people congregate,' she said.

'If you have the mildest of symptoms, do not attend any of those events whether they're indoors or outdoors. 

Anyone entering the CBD will need to have a pass from Service NSW to prove they have a booking at a restaurant or are visiting a friend's home. Pictured: a sign warning of closures on New Years Eve at Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged residents who want to throw a small party at home to consider hosting barbecues outside. Pictured: Preparations at the Opera House for New Year's Eve celebrations

'The last thing you want to do is be responsible for spreading COVID to your loved ones and the broader community,' she added.

On Sunday a firefighter was among seven new Covid-19 cases recorded in New South Wales. 

Six of the cases have been linked to the Avalon cluster and five of those cases are already in isolation.

The seventh case was a firefighter, who works at Crows Nest, who visited the Belrose Hotel on December 11.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed a worker at the same venue had come forward for a test on December 23, with results showing they were infected two to three weeks ago. 

She explained he had a 'very short period of fever' on December 10, and has likely been infected since that time - meaning potential contact with thousands of people.

What are the restrictions for New Year's Eve in Sydney? 

For New Year's Eve Celebrations:

• The CBD frontline worker fireworks vantage point offering is cancelled. Frontline workers will be offered another opportunity in 2021.

• Hospitality venues will remain open but must adhere to the one person per four square metres rule.

• Council events may continue but they must be controlled and seated with no mingling, and record keeping requirements must be strictly adhered to.

• A short, seven minute fireworks display will continue at midnight. 

Unless you have a New Year's Eve Pass through Service NSW, you will not be able to enter designated zones around Circular Quay, North Sydney and the City.

From midnight Monday 28 December: 

For the Northern Beaches peninsula zone (North of Narrabeen Bridge, and east of the Baha'i Temple), the following rules apply until January 9:

· The health situation remains volatile and the current restrictions will remain in place to supress community transmission.

· However, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be allowed for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but will be restricted to five visitors in total from within your zone (and includes at homes).

· Current arrangements allowing five people to gather outdoors (not at homes) for exercise and recreation, from within the same zone, continues.

· No restaurants, cafes, pubs or clubs (except for takeaway) will be permitted to open, including for New Year's Eve.

For the remainder (southern zone) of the Northern Beaches, the following rules apply until January 2:

· The health situation remains volatile and the current restrictions will remain in place to supress community transmission.

· However, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be allowed for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but will be restricted to 10 visitors in total from within your zone (and includes at homes).

· Current arrangements allowing 10 people to gather outdoors (not at homes) for exercise and recreation, from within the same zone, continues.

· No restaurants, cafes, pubs or clubs (except for takeaway) will be permitted to open, including for New Year's Eve.

For Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong the following rules apply:

• Gatherings in the home remain at 10 visitors in total (including children).

• Outside gatherings (such as picnics) will be restricted to 50 people in total (down from 100).

For regional NSW there is no change to current arrangements.