Melbourne CBD’s laneways and streets are being transformed into a New Year’s Eve outdoor and alfresco dining festival, but health authorities are urging people not to enter the city without a reservation.

Reservations are filling up fast for Melbourne’s many laneways, but the Victorian government is imploring its citizens not to converge on the city.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said the health advice clearly stipulates Melburnians shouldn’t come into the city without reservations, in a bid to avoid unnecessarily large crowds gathering in the city.

“Please only come to the CBD if you have a booking,” she said.

Although the government has made the advice clear, police won’t be checking bookings on arrival.

Numbers in Melbourne’s CBD for New Year’s Eve are expected to be down significantly from last year.