New South Wales will see the return of venue density caps as the state battles to contain its mammoth coronavirus case surge.
There were 6324 new cases on Monday – slightly down on Sunday’s numbers – and three more deaths.
Crucially, the number of Covid patients in hospital has risen from 458 to 521 and there are now 55 people in ICU, up from 52.
The numbers come as the state introduces changes for the holiday season to try and stem the spread of Covid.
Venues and patrons must now follow the one person per two square metres rule indoors at pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes.
However, the rule will not apply in outdoor spaces such as beer gardens.
QR code check-ins at retail and hospitality are also making a return in a bid to stop the spread.
The process was initially scrapped after the state hit 90 per cent fully vaccinated.
Masks must also be worn indoors.
Sydney’s Omicron surge has also seen the state’s testing capacity pushed to the brink as thousands wait for hours to be swabbed for the virus.
There were 97,241 tests conducted over the past 24 hours, again slightly down from 109,545 tests on Sunday.
Return times for results have also stretched out to between 48 and 72 hours.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Sunday warned “we’re all going to get Omicron”, as cases in the state hit a new high of 6934 infections.
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