NSW recorded 89 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Of these locally acquired cases, 75 are linked to a known case or cluster – 59 are household contacts and 16 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 14 cases remains under investigation.
Fifty-five cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and nine cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Twenty-one cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 4 cases remain under investigation.
This last number, 21, is the number that needs to be closest to zero in order to leave lockdown.
Sadly, NSW Health has also reported the death of a man in his 70s, who was a confirmed COVID-19 case. He was a resident of the eastern suburbs.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard has also signed a new health order for those residing in the Fairfield LGA who need to leave the house for essential work. This also applies to people who are travelling to the regions.
“If you live in the Fairfield Local Government area, you must have regular Covid tests to demonstrate that you are [virus] free, even if you don’t have symptoms, because unfortunately, we see what we call asymptomatic people who don’t have symptoms, leaving the house, going out of the local area to work and unfortunately sending the virus to other parts of Greater Sydney or elsewhere and that’s what we have to stop.
“[The health] minister did sign a new health order which states that everybody who leaves the Local Government area for work is tested every three days to demonstrate they are negative.
“If you happen to have people on your worksite or overseeing work or any time of activity in your private residence or commercial premises, please ask where they live and if they live or come from that area, a hotspot area, please ask when the last time was that they got tested.
“That also will apply to people working in the regions. We are asking people who are working or moving between greater metropolitan Sydney and into the regions to get a weekly Covid test, even if they don’t have symptoms just to make sure that we reduce the incidence of essential workers passing on the virus.”
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has also explained that the new COVID-19 testing mandate for essential workers from Fairfield and those travelling to the regions will start from midnight tonight.
“The requirements of the new public health orders are aimed at making sure that there is testing of people who are moving into areas outside Greater Sydney, particularly from Fairfield but everywhere in Greater Sydney.
“The testing requirement is once every seven days. People will need to have evidence on themselves to show that if they are stopped by police or other appropriate authorities, that they can give evidence that they have actually had the test in the last seven days.
“In regards to people who are currently resident in the local government area of Fairfield, the first message is please don’t go outside the Fairfield local Government area, even if you consider your work is essential, rethink that but if it really is essential, then you must – if you’re leaving, you must have a test every three days to be able to again present that evidence.
“I signed that order this morning. It starts at 12.01am, obviously the police will exercise the same respectful approach in the next few days to making sure that we don’t cause people unnecessary problems in needing to get that test immediately but certainly we would like it to be done immediately.
“The police will exercise judgement in determining what action they might take if you haven’t actually managed to get it in the next 24/36 hours.”
Dr Chant has clarified that those essential workers in Fairfield LGA (and other suburbs of concern) who get tested (every three days) do not need to isolate while awaiting this test result – if they have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, even a “scratchy throat” the only thing you should be doing is getting a test and isolating.
The full list of exposure sites is available here.
Image: Getty
