Wagga's religious leaders have warned of a long road back to normal as the restrictions on places of worship ease from Monday.
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The coronavirus had seen a 10-person limit on religious services but that has been raised to 50 for a space with four square metres per person.
Father Brendan Lee from the Catholic Diocese of Wagga said he was "very happy" with the changes but he "had concerns".
"I do have my worries with all the elderly people," he said.
"I would say to people who are desperate to get back into church 'be patient, it will come'."
Wagga Baptist Church senior pastor David Strong said he was delighted by the changes but services would still be different.
"People will be thrilled to be able to get together again and it's often the most isolated ones which are wanting to meet again and they're also the ones that we need to take care of," he said.
"It's not easy for us as we won't be going back to normal and often our congregations are significantly more than 100 so it's a battle for us on who gets to go and who doesn't.
"We need to not have singing as part of our worship, which is a massive change for us."
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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she knew "how important these services are" but "we must remember to keep one another safe".
"It is crucial that worshippers remember to follow health advice," she said.
"This is particularly important for people with co-morbidities aged over 50 and people aged over 70."
NSW Health will assist places of worship to develop COVID-19 safety plans.
Under the revised rules, weddings can also be attended by up to 20 people and 50 people can attend funerals.