Strict restrictions which will hit Christmas plans across Sydney are in force - here's what you need to know about the new rules
New South Wales has recorded 30 new cases of coronavirus with 28 linked to a cluster on the Northern Beaches, prompting Victoria and Queensland to shut their borders to Sydneysiders amid fears Christmas could be ruined for millions.
Two cases under investigation are Northern Beaches residents who are believed to be linked to the mystery cluster that now has 68 patients, meaning there is no evidence the virus has spread outside the area.
Despite the encouraging news Premier Gladys Berejiklian has tightened restrictions for Greater Sydney amid fears the virus is spreading around the city undetected.
From 11.59pm on Sunday until 11.59pm on Wednesday all Greater Sydney residents will be allowed a maximum of 10 people in their homes.
There are also new restrictions for venues including a 300 person cap, a one person per four square metre rule and a ban on singing and dancing. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said singing and dancing were 'one of the most dangerous exercises you can do'.
New South Wales has recorded 30 new cases of coronavirus with 28 linked to a cluster on the Northern Beaches. Pictured: Sydney residents line up to get tested in Darlinghurst on Sunday
There were more than 28,000 tests on Saturday and queues were up to six hours long on Sunday as residents responded to the call. Pictured: A testing queue in Darlinghurst on Sunday
East Sydney residents are pictured waiting for testing as the queue snakes around the block in Darlinghurst on Sunday
Thousands of people around the city queued for Covid-19 tests on Sunday morning. Pictured: Queues at the Bondi Beach drive-through testing centre which snaked around the block
A health official takes samples for Covid-19 tests from residents of the Northern Beaches in Sydney on Sunday morning
Residents of the Northern Beaches queue up for Covid-19 tests at a roadside testing centre. The cluster has grown to 68 cases
Premier Berejiklian urged residents to wear masks on public transport and in spaces where social distancing is not possible such as shops and supermarkets.
As the cluster grows, Victoria has banned all residents from Greater Sydney and the Central Coast from entering the state from 11.59pm on Sunday.
Victorians are allowed to return home without mandatory hotel quarantine until 11.59pm on Monday, but will be required to self-isolate.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he wanted to keep Victoria coronavirus-free after 51 days with no community transmission. 'We have built something precious and we intend to safeguard it,' he said.
Queensland's premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced similar restrictions on Sunday afternoon, banning those from Greater Sydney from her state from 1am on Monday - when the city becomes an official hot spot.
For Queenslanders returning home from Greater Sydney, they have until 1am on Tuesday to cross the border and will have to take a test and self-isolate if they arrive on Monday.
South Australia is requiring anyone arriving from Greater Sydney after 11.59pm on Sunday to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Anyone who has entered on Friday, Saturday or Sunday will be asked to get tested but does not have to self-isolate for two weeks. Both states have already banned Northern Beaches residents.
Long lines of traffic wait to be tested for COVID-19 at the St. Vincent's Hospital drive-through testing clinic in Bondi Beach
Premier Berejiklian urged residents to wear masks on public transport and in spaces where social distancing is not possible such as shops and supermarkets. Pictured: Queues for testing at Bondi
NSW Health's list of potentially infected locations has soared to 70. This map highlights Homebush, St Peters, Erskineville and Surry Hills among the newly identified places. Click here to see NSW places on alert
Dr Chant has urged everyone across the state to get tested as soon as they notice the mildest symptoms. Pictured: Testing at Bondi Beach on Sunday
Panic buying has set in once more amid fear of lockdown. Pictured: Empty shelves of a Woolworths store in Northbridge
Sydney's extraordinary contact tracing system - which has been described as 'diamond standard' - has linked almost all of the cases to two events at the Avalon RSL and the Avalon Bowlo, with the others under investigation
Premier Gladys Berejiklian (left with Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant) said she was pleased that the outbreak - which now totals 68 - has not spread beyond the Northern Beaches
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What are Sydney's new rules from 11.59pm?
· Household gatherings will be limited to 10 visitors (until 11:59pm Wednesday 23 December).
· The one person per four square metre rule will be re-introduced for all indoor settings including hospitality venues and places of worship.
· A cap of 300 people will apply for hospitality venues and places of worship.
· Singing and chanting at indoor venues will not be allowed.
· Dancefloors will not be permitted, except for weddings, when a maximum of 20 from the bridal party will be permitted.
Premier Berejiklian said she was pleased that the outbreak has not spread beyond the Northern Beaches where 270,000 residents are locked down until Thursday.
'While the numbers are higher today than yesterday, the one positive is we still have not seen evidence of massive seeding outside the Northern Beaches community,' she said.
NSW Health is still trying to work out how the virus got into the Northern Beaches.
Officials are asking anyone who visited Avalon Anytime Fitness between November 23 and December 7 to get swabbed as part of an 'upstream' testing effort to find the source.
'We are trying to find the earliest possible case and then link that back to anyone that may have come in contact with this individual,' said Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.
The government wants anyone who visited the Avalon RSL on December 14 between 5-10pm, on December 15 between 12-5pm and on December 16 between 4pm and midnight to get tested.
Dr Chant also urged everyone across the state to get tested as soon as they notice the mildest symptoms.
There were more than 28,000 tests on Saturday and queues were up to six hours long as residents responded to the call.
The mystery outbreak was identified on Wednesday afternoon when a couple in their 60s and 70s tested positive having visited venues across the Northern Beaches instead of self-isolating while awaiting results.
The strain of the virus is believed to be from the US but disease detectives have not worked out how it got out into the community. From Tuesday airline crews will be forced to quarantine at two hotels whenever they land in Sydney.
On Saturday night, a NSW Health alert revealed positive Covid-19 cases travelled beyond the Northern Beaches and into the inner-city, inner west and western suburbs.
The newly listed venues include Surry Hills, Forster, Narrabeen, Turramurra, Erskineville, St Peters, Mona Vale, Palm Beach, Raymond Terrace, Brookvale and Homebush.
On Saturday Ms Berejiklian asked Harbour City residents to stay at home and avoid non-essential activity. Sydneysiders appeared to follow the premier's request by bunkering down, with the CBD turning into a ghost town on Saturday night.
People line up to be tested at a pop-up COVID-19 testing facility at Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches
An empty George Street in the Sydney CBD as residents of Greater Sydney are asked to consider staying at home on Saturday following a coronavirus outbreak
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR NSW RESIDENTS
As of Saturday night, a total of 70 venues across NSW had been put on an alert list.
In the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, three venues have been visited by residents infected with COVID-19.
Anyone who visited Strawberry Hills Hotel from 3.30pm to 6pm on December 16 is considered a close contact and should be tested immediately and self-isolate until December 30.
Anyone who attended Nomad Restaurant from 6pm to 7.45pm on December 16 is also a close contact and should follow the same directions as those who attended the popular watering hole.
People who attended the café Cuckoo Callay in Surry Hills from 11am to 12pm are considered casual contacts and advised to get tested and self-isolate.
Other close contact locations include the Avalon RSL, Avalon Bowlo, The Sands in Narrabeen, Salon for Hair in Turramurra and Rose of Australia in Erskineville.
Those who attended the beginners class at Sydney Trapeze School in St Peters, the inner west, from 10am to 12pm are also considered close contacts and should be tested and isolate.
On the NSW Central Coast, anyone who dined in the outdoor verandah area of Café Toscano in Forster from 6pm to 7.45pm on December 16 is also considered a close contact.
Meanwhile, Beach Bums Café in Forster has been identified as a 'casual contact' location from 8am to 9am on December 16 and 17 - with advice to get tested and isolate.
Northern Beaches locals are seen waiting in long lines for Covid-19 tests at the Brookvale Centre on Saturday
Those who attended the café Cuckoo Callay in Surry Hills from 11am to 12pm are considered casual contacts and advised to get tested and self-isolate.
Shoppers wear face masks as they buy groceries at Woolworths in Avalon on Saturday
Those on the Central Coast and in greater Sydney can still enter Victoria but need to apply for a permit.
The rest of NSW is considered a 'green zone' and can visit Victoria but also need to apply for a permit online to gain access.
One coronavirus case travelled extensively on the T1 North Shore Line from Artarmon to Wynyard on Monday morning and back that night before making the same trip on Tuesday.
The T3 Bankstown Line from St James to Erskineville on Tuesday night and from Erskineville to Central on Wednesday morning are also affected.
New casual contact locations include Miter 10 Mona Vale, McDonald's Raymond Terrace, Warringah Mall, High Tek Aquarium in Brookvale and Harris Farm Warehouse in Homebush.
On the Northern Beaches, NSW Health are advising anyone who dined at Oceana Traders – Seafood Merchants at Avalon Beach from Monday December 14 to Thursday December 17 to get tested immediately.
The diners are close contacts and must self-isolate for 14 days.
Passengers on a train from Milsons Point on Saturday. One case travelled extensively on the T1 North Shore Line between Artarmon and Wynyard while another travelled on the T3 Bankstown line from St James to Erskineville and Erskineville to Central
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Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan reintroduced the hard border with NSW at 12am on Sunday, meaning all arrivals will be 'turned away' from then.
He slammed the NSW Government's response to the pandemic on Saturday night, accusing them of playing 'whack-a-mole' with COVID-19 cases.
'I just say to New South Wales, they need to get it under control,' he said.
'I don't blame them for what's happened, I'm not going to point the finger, I'm just saying to them they need to get it under control.'
Mr McGowan said the growing cluster is 'causing grief all over Australia' and the state government 'needs to kill the virus in Sydney, in New South Wales'.
'They seem to be engaging in a sort of form of whack-a-mole, they try and step on a gym here or a restaurant there,' he said.
'Rather than playing whack-a-mole, they need to kill all the moles.'
A man receives a COVID-19 test at a drive through testing station at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Saturday
Pictured: Cars drive past a COVID-19 alert sign on Mona Vale road at Belrose on Sydney's Northern Beaches, Saturday, December 19, 2020
Mr McGowan said the hard border between WA and NSW will remain in place indefinitely.
'Right now, I don't know how long the hard border with NSW will be up for,' he said.
'We hope it's only for a short period – and we can reassess our border controls when the health advice says it is safe to do so.
'Our community has been COVID-free for 252 days now. I want to keep it that way.'
NSW currently has 41 active cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday, most of which are located to a cluster in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Of the 38 cases in the Avalon cluster, 15 cases are linked to the Avalon RSL, 23 cases are linked to the Avalon Bowling Club, and several cases attended both venues.
Another two new locally acquired cases in the Northern Beaches are still under investigation while one was a NSW resident was diagnosed in Queensland.
WA is the first state to impose a hard border on NSW amid the current outbreak.
An empty station entrance at Milsons Point train station on Saturday, with just station staff seen tending to their duties
Some people wear face masks and some not at Town Hall in the Sydney CBD. While the Northern Beaches Council area is locked down, Ms Berejiklian is relying on the 'good faith' of other Sydneysiders to avoid nonessential travel
Healthworkers scramble to conduct coronavirus tests following an outbreak on Sydney's Northern Beaches
Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory have all banned anyone who visited the Northern Beaches from December 11 from entering their state or territory.
Only Queensland residents who visited the Northern Beaches can enter and will have to quarantine for 14 days upon entry.
From midnight on Saturday, everyone who enters Tasmania from the Greater Sydney area will be required to isolate for 14 days.
As a result of the outbreak, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race has been cancelled for the first time in 76 years.
The event organisers on Saturday night announced it was with 'great sadness' the 76th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race would not go ahead in 2020.
They said the coronavirus pandemic has distrupted sporting events across the world throughout the year and the 'Great Race' is another victim of the health crisis.
NSW public health alert - urgent call for testing (December 19)
Anyone who attended the following locations is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result:
Close and casual contacts, who must get tested and isolate until December 30:
People who visited the following venues at the below times should get tested immediately and self-isolate until NSW Health provides further information:
People who have visited the following locations are casual contacts, and should get tested immediately and isolate until they receive a negative result:
Confirmed cases travelled on the following transport services. Other passengers are considered to be casual contacts, and should get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
People queue up in their cars to be tested at a drive-thru Covid-19 testing facility at Avalon