Sydney Unveils Mask Mandate Starting At Midnight As Coronavirus Cases Rise

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian finally introduced a mandate to wear masks inside shops, salons, cinemas, churches and on public transport in Greater Sydney from midnight on Saturday.

After months of resisting the potentially unpopular move, Berejiklian announced that the masks would be mandatory in a variety of indoor situations, including game venues, in the capital of New South Wales and also in Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. .

“We would never dare to impose restrictions on our citizens unless we consider them absolutely necessary,” he said.

There won’t be a $ 200 fine for not wearing a mask until Monday, and children under 12 and people with certain medical conditions will be exempt.

The Premier also announced that it would immediately take a week off and thanked the public for their support in following the rules.

“I thank the community for their patience, but I also say that one strategy is to make sure that people can carry out their daily activities with the least possible impact, but there are things that we are going to put in place for midnight tonight,” he said.

“The first, which we have been talking about for a long time, is to promote what we do in relation to the use of masks. After midnight, the masks will be mandatory in certain indoor environments.

“We will ensure that compliance or enforcement occurs from Monday, so we will not impose a fine until Monday, the fine would be $ 200 … If you go to shopping malls, take public transport, attends the end of a place of entertainment like the cinema, having to wear a mask. “

Berejiklian explained that masks would also be mandatory in places of worship, beauty and hair salons, play areas of establishments and places of hospitality.

“None is a surprise. We have already strongly wanted people to wear a mask, but we don’t want to restrict people’s ability to walk. [their] business, but we want to increase economic activity and wearing masks in these settings will ensure that we have the confidence to do so, “he said.

“We’ve been talking about this for months and months, but … the reason it’s happening now is that you want to make sure you give companies and people who have jobs confidence that you can keep going … always wear a mask in indoor environments where there is an increased risk of transmission. “

Berejiklian has been recommending the use of masks in situations like taking public transport and in shopping malls for some time without making it mandatory, despite mounting pressure from critics.

The prime minister also changed the rules for large outdoor events from 5000 to 2000.

People who attend the cricket event at SCG in January will be required to stay in their assigned zones.

The mandate came after NSW recorded a new overnight infection figure of just seven people, and restrictions were relaxed for residents of Sydney’s North Beaches.

All residents of the Upper North Beaches, beyond North Narrabeen, will remain under the Christmas and New Years restrictions until at least January 9.

New South Wales opposition leader Jodie Mackay intervened in Saturday afternoon’s debate, saying the prime minister had been “dragged into kicking and screaming” at the mask’s mandate.

“We have been calling for the mandate of masks and enclosed places and public transport for some time,” he told a news conference.

“We know … with Victoria moving down this path and also under pressure from health officials from epidemiologists, frontline workers and doctors, that the prime minister really had no choice but to go down this path.

“It’s about managing risk and the Premier should have implemented it some time ago.”

But Mackay criticized the decision to allow SCG’s trial to continue, saying that “having 24,000 people in cricket is not the way to manage risk.”