• Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks will go ahead this year, but Aussies are encouraged to watch them from home.
• There will be a seven minute fireworks display at midnight but no 9pm fireworks.
• The fireworks vantage point initially offered to frontline workers has been cancelled.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

This year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney will be a little different as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has encouraged people in Sydney to watch the fireworks display from home.

“My strong message to everyone in Greater Sydney this year is to watch the fireworks on TV,” Berejiklian said in a statement.

At midnight, a seven minute fireworks display will take place, with Aussies able to watch it on ABC TV. However, there won’t be fireworks at 9pm.

While the state government had initially allowed frontline workers to view the fireworks from a particular vantage point, this has now been cancelled. Instead, the state government is planning to thank them in another way in 2021.

There are restrictions in place around parts of Sydney to ensure New Year’s celebrations are held in a covid-safe manner. Hospitality venues are allowed to open so long as they adhere to the one person per four square metres rule while council events can also go ahead but attendees have to be seated with no mingling.

There are designated zones around the city, Circular Quay and North Sydney that people can only enter if they have a New Year’s Eve Pass through Service NSW. To be eligible for one, you’ll either have to be a resident or get a registration code from a hospitality venue, an organisation hosting an event or the hotel you’re staying at.

When it comes to New Year’s Eve celebrations in homes, people in Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong can have up to five people visit, while outside gatherings are limited to 30.

Residents in the Northern Beaches peninsula zone – north of the Narrabeen Bridge – have a limit of five visitors from within their zone for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Those in the southern zone of the Northern Beaches are restricted to 10 visitors from their zone.

At a press conference on Monday, Berejiklian said, “On New Year’s Eve we don’t want any crowds on the foreshores around Sydney whatsoever.”

“Unless you have a permit to go to someone’s home, with not more than 10 people, or you have a permit from Service New South Wales to attend a hospitality venue, nobody should be in the CBD at all,” she added.

As an added warning to those who will be heading out for New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, police officers will be patrolling.

“There will still be significant numbers of officers deployed for Operation New Year’s Eve, who will be focused on keeping everyone safe, whether celebrating at an event in the CBD, suburban Sydney or Regional NSW,” Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said in a statement.

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