23 September 2021

Worship, weddings and funerals

 

Places of worship

 

In local government areas where the stay-at-home rules apply, a place of worship must not be open to members of the public.  

 

Services may be live-streamed from a church, meeting house, mosque, synagogue, temple or other place of worship that is not open to members of the public.

 

You can attend the premises if you are directly involved in the service or the operation of the equipment for the live-stream event. 

 

Find out about the rules that apply to singing in a place of public worship during a live-streamed event.

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Weddings

Wedding services can be held in NSW.

Number of people

You can attend a wedding service if:  

• you are legally required to conduct the wedding service being the celebrant or officiant 

• you are one of the 2 people getting married 

• you are one of the 2 necessary witnesses  

• you are recording the service or  

• one of 5 guests.  

These rules mean that no more than 11 people can attend a wedding service under any circumstances. 

Wedding services held outside Greater Sydney

If you live outside Greater Sydney, you can leave home to attend a wedding service outside Greater Sydney.  

If you live in Greater Sydney, you cannot leave home to attend a wedding service outside Greater Sydney, either as a participant in the service or as a guest.

Greater Sydney includes the Blue Mountains and Wollongong local government areas.

Wedding services held in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong

If you live outside Greater Sydney, you can leave home and enter Greater Sydney to attend a wedding service only if you are:  

• one of the people who is legally required to conduct the wedding service being the celebrant or officiant,  

• one of the 2 people getting married 

• one of the 2 necessary witnesses  

• the person recording the service; or 

• a parent, child or sibling of one of the people getting married.  

 

Funerals and memorial services

In local government areas where the stay-at-home rules apply, a maximum of 10 people can attend a funeral or memorial service or gathering afterwards.

The 10-person maximum also applies to an outdoor funeral, memorial service or gathering afterwards. Only one group of mourners can attend any of the gatherings. A funeral cannot occur at a place of residence.

In addition to the 10 people attending the service there may also be:

• a person conducting the service

• other people who are necessary for the preparation and conduct of the service.

 

Funeral or memorial services held outside Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong

If you live outside Greater Sydney, you can leave home to attend a funeral or memorial service outside Greater Sydney.   

If you live in Greater Sydney, you can leave home to attend a funeral or memorial service outside Greater Sydney, only if you are a:

• spouse (including de facto) of the deceased

• parent of the deceased

• child of the deceased,or 

• sibling of the deceased.  

Funeral and memorial services held in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong 

If you live outside Greater Sydney, you can leave home and enter Greater Sydney to attend a funeral or memorial service only if you are a:

• spouse (including de facto) of the deceased

• parent of the deceased

• child of the deceased, or 

• sibling of the deceased.  

 

Visiting cemeteries and grave sites

Cemeteries are not required to close. 

People are also permitted to leave home for compassionate reasons, such as:

• an anniversary of a deceased child, or

• if a close family member has recently died. 

Visiting a grave site would likely be considered compassionate. 

Visits should be brief.​ 

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