New South Wales (NSW) has recorded 22 new Covid-19 cases on day five of its lockdown, as the government announced QR code check-ins would soon be mandatory in supermarkets, schools and offices.
People wait for a tram in the empty central business district in Sydney on 27 June, the first full day a lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. Photo: AFP
Eleven of the new cases were in isolation while they were infectious.
More than 68,000 tests were completed in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hinted the two-week lockdown imposed on several parts of the state would not need to be extended if the numbers remained steady.
Yesterday, 19 new Covid-19 infections were recorded in NSW, while on Monday there were 18 new cases.
"I just remind everybody that if we continue to do the right thing, if we make sure we are following the health advice, that we can get out of this is the time-frame we've described, but that depends again on the next few days," she said.
Use of the Service NSW QR code will be mandatory at all workplaces, retail businesses and schools - including teaches and visitors (such as parents or contractors) but excluding students - from Monday 12 July.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the new QR code rules would allow the state's contact tracers to stay ahead of the latest strain.
"Delta moves at lightning pace, so we need to adjust our circumstances accordingly," he said.
Nurse worked while infectious
One of the new cases has been linked to the Marrickville wholesaler Great Ocean Foods, while another four were linked to the Crossways Hotel, chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
"The reason for that is we believe that there has been infection that has passed onto staff at that venue, all infectious people were there on multiple days," she said.
At 10pm yesterday, another case was recorded in a student nurse who worked at both Fairfield and Royal North Shore hospitals.
The 24-year-old student worked while infectious which has lead to discharged patients in the Fairfield rehabilitation ward and patients in the Royal North Shore cardiology ward being contacted by NSW Health.
"The wards that that staff member worked at have been locked down, so that's not taking any additional patients," Chant said.
The nurse's case will be included in tomorrow's Covid-19 numbers.
Northern Territory: Alice Springs to lockdown for 72 hours
Northern Territory is taking "extreme precautionary measures for Alice Springs", Chief Minister Michael Gunner said, though no new positive Covid-19 cases were reported across the territory.
Alice Springs would go into full lockdown from 1pm on Wednesday for 72 hours, he said.
It was in response to a man from the Tanami mine site who spent an extended period of time at Alice Springs airport on Friday 25 June. He had since developed symptoms of the coronavirus and household contacts had tested positive.
"It is unlikely that he was highly infectious during his time at Alice Springs airport. But, like all other other decisions we will not take a punt on this. We will operate on the assumption that he has Covid-19 and we will operate on the assumption that he was infectious while in the Territory."
South Australia
South Australia announced five new community cases today, its first cases in 200 days.
The cases were categorised as being linked to Northern Territory mine exposure site.
The miner returned to SA and tested positive, and his wife and three of their four children then tested positive also. The family was moved to a quarantine hotel.
Premier Steven Marshall said the cases did not mean SA would go into lockdown.
Victoria
The Victorian Government has paused any changes to the state's coronavirus restrictions for the next seven days.
Authorities had previously flagged increasing capacity limits for stadiums and theatres from this week.
Vaccines
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced people under the age of 40 would be able to get the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Previously, the federal government had said the Pfizer vaccine was preferred for Australians aged under 60, due to rare blood clotting cases linked to the AstraZeneca jab.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said younger people in NSW should speak to their GP before getting the AstraZeneca shot.
"If anything our sense of urgency has only gone up to get as many jabs in arms as quickly and as safely as possible but we also have to follow the health advice on what is a safe way of getting those jabs in arms," she said.
"I've had my first dose of AstraZeneca and I'm 50, so I'm 10 years off what the current health advice is."
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Morrison's decision to offer AstraZeneca to the under-40s wasn't cleared by National Cabinet and said Queenslanders should instead follow the state's health advice.
The state's chief health officer Jeanette Young said she did not want under-40s to have the AstraZeneca vaccine because they were at increased of a rare clotting syndrome.
Queensland recorded three new locally acquired Covid cases - all close contacts of existing cases.
- ABC