The difference between metro and Greater Sydney explained

As restrictions pile up for Sydneysiders in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the terms "Greater Sydney" and "metropolitan Sydney" have been thrown around a lot in relation to new rules and travel limits.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard in press conferences yesterday were both vague on what the terms meant, saying that Sydney residents "knew".

But while Greater Sydney and metropolitan Sydney cover a lot of the same ground, they aren't quite interchangeable.

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What is Greater Sydney?

The majority of restrictions announced yesterday, including the return of the four-square-metre rule, restrictions on home visitors, and mandatory mask-wearing, apply to Greater Sydney.

As specified, this includes the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas - in effect covering a much greater (as the name implies) region than what most NSW residents would think of as Sydney.

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As seen on the map below, "Greater Sydney" extends northward to near Newcastle, south towards Nowra, and west to Katoomba.

For the next week, these regions will be subject to the same restrictions as Sydney city.

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Where are metropolitan Sydney's boundaries?

People who live or work in the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside and Woollahra local government areas have been ordered to not travel out of metropolitan Sydney.

This is closer to what most people likely think of as "Sydney", shearing off the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Wollondilly, and Hawkesbury regions.

For the duration of the restrictions, anybody in the affected LGAs can only cross these boundaries for essential travel regions, including food supply, for medical care, or moving house.

The NSW government advice website includes interactive maps so you can search for a specific address to see where it lies in relation to the borders.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.