There's strong hope Anzac Day marches and services may be able to be held in something more like their traditional form, as an exemption on crowd sizes is extended to the Illawarra.
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The traditional march is likely to go ahead in Wollongong and in smaller suburbs, after the NSW Health Minister announced an exemption from COVID-19 crowd limits for the solemn event.
City of Wollongong RSL sub-branch president Bruce Kafer said he was due to meet with health authorities early next week for discussions about what form the march might be able to take. Dawn services may also be back on the agenda.
"It will be more about what does that exemption mean, and how might we be able to conduct an Anzac Day march or outdoor services given what sits within the exemption provided by the minister," Rear Admiral Kafer said. The outdoor march and service would have a maximum of 3.000 people with one person per two square metres.
Corrimal and Coledale RSL sub-branches are also understood to be organising marches and dawn services.
In Sydney, the limit of 5,000 can be extended to 10,000 upon application, and a NSW Health spokeswoman said these numbers do not include spectators.
It is hoped the same lenience will be be applied outside of Sydney.
"An exemption is now in place that will permit up to 5,000 people to participate in the Anzac Day march in the Sydney CBD on [April 25]," the spokeswoman said.
"Across the whole of NSW outside the Sydney CBD, there will be a limit of 3,000 people for Anzac Day services and marches."
NSW Health is continuing to work with RSL NSW to support them to ensure a COVID-safe Anzac Day commemoration that meets public aspirations for this important event. As part of this, RSL NSW is required to develop and comply with a COVID-19 Safety Plan.
While saying the development "positions us ahead of where I thought we'd be", Rear Admiral Kafer said more details needed to be worked out.
"We need to better understand what that actually means, and with respect to spectators what can be achieved there as well.
"All of the sub-branches are doing something, whether they do a dawn service or a march. We'll [look at] a dawn service whether we can achieve that in MacCabe Park at the Cenotaph.
"I think the biggest issue is that we get the COVID-19 safety plan all right. We can do all the stuff to get the marchers, bands, vintage cars, fly-pasts - that's not hard. The hard thing is to get the safety plan right - assuming we have agreement to proceed of course.
"It's us who's the organiser - it's not the council, it's not the police, it's us, which means we have the responsibility to make sure it's enacted properly."
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