Premier Gladys Berejiklian said all cases are linked to known clusters, and yesterday’s mystery case has now been linked to a source.
She also said there were nearly 20,000 tests done and asked people not to delay seeking a test if they are sick or if it is the weekend.
“Thank you to everybody coming forward to get tested,” she said.
Of the four locally acquired cases, three are linked to a staff member at Concord Hospital’s emergency department, Dr Kerry Chant said.
These three cases are a student from the Blue Mountains Grammar School, a household contact who also goes to the school, and a close contact not at school.
Years 10, 11, and 12 are doing online learning until after the school holidays, Dr Chant said.
The fourth local case from today is a close contact of a previously confirmed case linked to the CBD cluster.
The person completed self-isolation prior to developing symptoms, and had previously tested negative. Contact tracing is underway.
NSW will also take on an extra 500 returned travellers in hotel quarantine a week, on the condition that other states double their intake, Ms Berejiklian said.
The premier spoke with the prime minister this morning before consulting ministers and relevant authorities and agreed that the daily cap would be raised from 350 to 420 people.
“If the other states to agree to up their numbers then we will then also of course also accommodate that,” she said.
“We don’t want to see any Australians undertaking unnecessary heartache.”
Ms Berejiklian has also confirmed restrictions in regional NSW will be relaxed later this week to fall in line with Victoria easing some of the rules.
“Because restrictions have been eased in regional Victoria, we are similarly doing that for our border communities to have consistency,” Ms Berejiklian said.
NSW is increasing the number of towns included in the border community and has provided hundreds of permits for agriculture workers to move more freely.
“I understand the health minister is looking at these today and we should have those signed today or tomorrow,” the premier said.
Ms Berejiklian again called on her Queensland counterpart to open the border given the low levels of community transmission in the state.
“If you look at any proposed definition of hotspot, technically there aren’t any hotspots in NSW,” she said.
“I’d be arguing there’s no reason to keep the border closed today.”
Source: 9News
