Coronavirus NSW: Restrictions to ease for Christmas carols, church services

More people will be allowed at religious services and choir numbers will be increased as part of the latest COVID rules to be eased in NSW.

Up to 500 people will be allowed at outdoor religious services in NSW, and choirs as large as 30 will be permitted outside from Monday.

In a bid to allow COVID-safe Christmas carols, audiences at events and religious congregations will also be allowed to sing, as long as anyone older than 12 wears a mask.

Outdoor religious services will be allowed to hold one person per two square metres if people are assigned a seat, or one per four square metres on grass or picnic rugs.

Capacity for “controlled outdoor events” will also be increased, with up to 3,000 people allowed – with one person per 2sqm if assigned a seat or one per 4sqm on grass or picnic rugs.

The events must be ticketed.

Funerals will also increase to 300 people from December 1 in line with limits on weddings and corporate events.

No new local cases of coronavirus were recorded in NSW overnight, making it the 12th consecutive day of zero community transmission. Five cases were diagnosed in hotel quarantine.

Victoria registered its 20th day without a case before shutting its borders to South Australia despite the troubled state recording no new cases on the first day of a strict six-day lockdown.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the state’s border with South Australia would close from 11.59pm on Thursday.

He said the hard border closure would be in place for 48 hours until a permit system came into place at midnight on Saturday.

Mr Andrews said the new measures were taken as an “abundance of caution” due to ongoing community transmission in South Australia.