The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.
[6][7] The daily press conferences ended on 13 September, with the premier stating "to expect the leader of the government indefinitely to do this every day means that I am not doing my job properly".
[11] Corrective Services New South Wales implemented screening mechanisms, early flu vaccination programs and stricter hygiene requirements for staff, visitors and inmates to slow the spread of the virus.
[13] On 23 November, it became mandatory for many businesses to use electronic record systems to collect details of patrons for possible contact tracing.
[14] On 12 July 2021, the use of QR code check-ins in retail stores, hire vehicles and many other settings, became mandatory in the entirety of NSW.
[15] On 18 March, The Minister for Health Brad Hazzard signed an Order under the emergency powers of the Public Health Act 2010[16] supporting measures announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison which included: Despite a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people, huge crowds flocked to the popular Bondi Beach and other beaches across Sydney on Friday 20 March.
On 21 March, crowds built up yet again which led Waverley Council to temporarily close Bondi, and the other beaches of Bronte and Tamarama.
[27] On 23 June 2021, from 4pm, some partial restrictions were introduced for Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour limiting visitor numbers to homes, density in hospitality venues, participant numbers in dance and gym classes, and other activities, and requiring masks in indoor non-residential settings.
[34] On 23 August, as of midnight, some previously announced added restrictions came into force: a curfew from 9pm to 5am in the 12 'LGAs of concern' and mask wearing became mandatory outside the home everywhere in NSW.
[53][56] Fully vaccinated Australian citizens, residents, and their families became able to arrive from international destinations into New South Wales without hotel quarantine.
[57] On 15 December, additional restrictions were dropped, including masks in hospitality and retail spaces, and density limits in gym and dance classes.
Pfizer was the preferred vaccine, with AstraZeneca initially restricted to only those over 60-years-of-age on the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) due to blood-clot issues in younger people.
[69] Due to low numbers of Pfizer vaccines available, AstraZeneca was later made available to those aged 18–59 in outbreak areas if they provided written or verbal consent.
[70] On 9 August, Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park opened as an additional vaccination hub, initially targetting Year 12 students to allow them to take Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams in person.
[75] In November 2021, the state government announced $130 million of funding, including for psychology and psychiatry services, to assist those who had been adversely affected mentally by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were calls by NSW opposition political parties for the scheme to be extended beyond its initial 30 June 2021 deadline to use the vouchers.
[84] On 29 June, the Dine and Discover stimulus scheme was extended for the second time, to 31 August, and now also allowed take-away food purchases.
[82] On 16 December 2020, health authorities announced that two residents of the Northern Beaches district of Sydney had tested positive to COVID, with the source of their infection not apparent.
[88] Residents of the Northern Beaches LGA were required to stay at home from 5 pm on Saturday 19 December, until 11:59 pm on Wednesday 23 December unless they had a lawful reason to travel, including for: essential shopping; essential travel for work and to or from a school or educational institution; exercise; medical care, carer's responsibilities or compassionate needs.
Only residents, guests, and those with bookings at bars, hotels and restaurants, were allowed in foreshore areas under a pass system.
[91] On Saturday, 2 January 2021, it was announced that as of midnight that day, facemasks would become mandatory in many enclosed places in Greater Sydney.
[96] In late July, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected an appeal from New South Wales for additional Pfizer Cominarty vaccine doses, with the outbreak in south-western Sydney described as a "national emergency" by New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
[98] On 15 August, with daily diagnoses above 400 cases, Berejiklian said that eliminating COVID infections in NSW was "near impossible", describing it a week later as "completely unrealistic".
[103] From 11 October, with double-dose vaccination rates above 70% of NSW adults, restrictions loosened despite ongoing case loads.
[50][51] Hospital cases arising from the Bondi outbreak wave peaked at 1268 admissions on 21 September and had fallen to 711 patients by 14 October.
[104] Bayside, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield Georges River, Liverpool, and Parramatta were called the "8 LGAs of concern"[105] The Omicron variant was first detected in NSW on 28 November 2021 in travellers who had arrived the previous day from Southern Africa via Doha.
[110] Seroprevalence studies of blood donors suggested that approximately one fifth of New South Wales residents may have contracted COVID during the December/January Omicron wave.
Into early 2021 events such as regional agricultural shows, and music festivals (Byron Bay Bluesfest and Groovin the Moo)[114][115] were cancelled.