Sydney's famous New Year's Eve fireworks display is set to be CANCELLED to stop the spread of coronavirus
- Sydney's famous New Year's Eve fireworks could be scrapped amid pandemic
- Mayors in local councils are waiting on the Sydney mayor to make a decision
- NSW Deputy Premier on Wednesday said the display was unlikely to go ahead
- Sources in the NSW Police say social distancing issues are a major concern
- Lord Mayor Clover Moore admitted it 'may not be responsible' to host the event
Sydney's world-class New Year's Eve fireworks are likely to be cancelled in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
An average of one million spectators flock to the Sydney Harbour foreshore every year to watch the elaborate 12-minute display on December 31.
But New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said on Wednesday the celebration was unlikely to go ahead because of the pandemic.
Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve firework display (pictured above at Sydney Harbour) will likely be cancelled to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic
About one million people flock to the city's iconic foreshore ever year to watch the elaborate 12-minute display where fireworks detonate from Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge
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Mr Barilaro said the cancellation of major events in regional areas, such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival, suggested large gatherings couldn't go ahead.
'If the regions have to lose big tourism events like this, then there is no option but to cancel the big drawcard events in Sydney and the most obvious is the New Year's Eve fireworks,' Mr Barilaro told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Herald cited a source close to NSW Police Minister David Elliott saying there were concerns about how to deal with thousands of people converging on the harbour to see the fireworks.
'How can you attract one million people to the harbour shores and do it in a safe way?', Mr Barilaro said on Nine's Today program.
'Police and health experts are saying it is very difficult to police one million people on the (harbour) foreshores.
'This is the reality of the pandemic. We know it won't happen, the risk is far too high,' he said.
Mr Barilaro said it was better to flag the decision early before families made bookings for Christmas and new year holidays.
He also called for restrictions to be eased in regional NSW to allow larger weddings, school formals and unlimited numbers at venues.
Pressure is mounting on the City of Sydney council to make a decision about the iconic celebration.
New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the celebration (pictured) was unlikely to go ahead as major events and music festivals in regional parts of the state had been cancelled
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has admitted it 'may not be responsible' for the crowded celebrations to go ahead.
She claimed the decision ultimately rests with NSW Health to determine whether the event can be held safely.
'It would be incredibly sad if Sydney New Year's Eve cannot go ahead, but that is a real possibility we're facing,' she said.
Local mayors across the city have urged Ms Moore to make the call as they attempt to plan local celebrations.
City of Sydney Council is working with the government to assess the impact of COVID-19 on all major events, including New Year's Eve.
'These events are subject to the NSW Government's public health orders, which are continuously amended to address the local impact of the pandemic,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
It will the first time in 32 years if Sydney's famous fireworks display is cancelled (Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve in Sydney during the 2020 event pictured above)
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore admitted it 'may not be responsible' for the celebrations to go ahead (Sydney Opera House pictured on New Year's Eve 2019)
City of Sydney Council is working with the government to assess the impact of COVID-19 on all major events, including New Year's Eve (Sydney Harbour fireworks display pictured)
'Where events are deemed safe enough to occur, we will prepare and enact COVID safe plans and physical distancing guidelines to safeguard the health and safety of our community, staff and contractors.'
It will the first time in 32 years if Sydney's famous fireworks display is cancelled.
The Sydney Harbour fireworks are watched by millions around the world as one of the first major celebrations to welcome in the new year.
Last year's New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney were marred by controversy after widespread last-ditch calls for the event to be cancelled due to the horror bushfire season.
More than 300,000 Australians signed a Change.org petition calling for the event to be cancelled and give the money to drought-stricken farmers and tireless firefighters as the bushfire crisis hits frightening levels across the east coast.
Dozens of homes and properties were destroyed on December 31 last year as horrific fire tore through coastal NSW and Victoria.
A number of councils in Sydney and across NSW cancelled their celebrations, including Parramatta, Wollongong, Campbelltown, Huskisson, Armidale, Maitland and Canberra.
Sydney's Bayside Council has already announced its celebrations have been scrapped for a second consecutive year.
Mayors across Sydney have said they are waiting on the City of Sydney to make a decision before cancelling local firework displays (revellers pictured at Wynyard station)
