Thousands of Australians to eat for FREE again as $100 vouchers are given to locals hit hard by the pandemic - so are you eligible for a free dinner?
Thousands of Australians will be given food and entertainment vouchers in a bid to support local businesses struggling to stay open during the pandemic.
The NSW Government confirmed it will fast track a $100 'dine and discover' voucher scheme trial for Northern Beaches locals from February, alongside residents in The Rocks, Broken Hill and Sydney's CBD.
'By including the Northern Beaches in the trial it will ensure we fast track stimulus spending at a time when they need it most,' NSW Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said in a statement.
The Northern Beaches was plunged into lockdown on December 19 following an unexpected Covid outbreak in Avalon, which quickly developed into a cluster involving those who visited nearby Avalon RSL and the Avalon Bowlo.
In a bid to limit potential positive cases, residents from Manly to Narrabeen on Sydney's Northern Beaches were advised not to leave their homes unless it was deemed essential until January 2 - with all but essential businesses forced to close.
Manly Corso (pictured above) was a ghost town after Sydney's northern beaches went into lockdown before Christmas last year
The NSW Government backed 'Dine and Discover' $100 voucher scheme will apply to those from Sydney's northern beaches, the Rocks, CBD and Broken Hill
Those from north of the Narrabeen Bridge to Palm Beach remain in lockdown until at least January 9.
The voucher scheme, part of the 2020-21 Budget, will see residents in the four outlined areas of NSW allocated four $25 vouchers to spend at local hospitality and entertainment venues.
It is part of an official pilot program to be formally introduced next month.
Once the pilot program is completed, the scheme will then be rolled out for residents across NSW later in 2021.
This map shows alerts for Covid-19 cases across Sydney, which started in the Northern Beaches in December
To be eligible, NSW residents need to be aged 18 or over, with two of the vouchers available at hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs between Monday and Thursday each week.
The remaining two vouchers can be used for entertainment as well as recreation – including outlets such as museums, zoos, arts venues and live music.
Other industries where the scheme will also apply includes go-karting, indoor climbing, mini-golf and ten-pin bowling alleys.
The entertainment vouchers will be available for use seven days a week, with alcohol and gambling excluded.
To apply for the vouchers, people are advised to download the Service NSW app on their mobile phones.
Northern Beaches residents (pictured above in Manly) will be eligible for the vouchers as part of the NSW Government's 2020-21 budget
The usually busting Manly Corso (pictured above) was empty as Sydney's northern beaches experienced a Covid-19 lockdown, with many local businesses suffering