NSW records one locally acquired case of COVID-19
by Rachel Clun and Lucy CormackJust one case of community transmission of COVID-19 was reported in Sydney on Monday but, as testing numbers drop, NSW Health warns there is still a risk of outbreaks.
Four new cases were recorded in NSW overnight. Three were in returned overseas travellers and one was a locally acquired case linked to a known cluster.
NSW Health spokeswoman Christine Selvey said the new local case was a close contact of a previously confirmed case who had attended the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club in Waverley.
“This person had been in self-isolation while infectious,” she said.
Almost 2.5 million tests have been conducted in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic, but testing numbers have dropped over the past two weeks. Just over 9300 tests were reported in that period, down from more than 14,400 the day before.
“While there has only been one new locally acquired case recorded in the past 24 hours, the virus is likely circulating among people in the community with mild symptoms,” Dr Selvey said.
“This means there is still a risk of outbreaks and a resurgence of cases.”
Dr Selvey urged anyone with symptoms, particularly those living in the south-western, western and south-eastern Sydney areas to come forward for testing.
“This is even more important with the upcoming school holidays, when people will travel across the state,” she said.
Cases without a known source are the biggest worry for health authorities in easing any lockdown measures, said Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth, as Victoria recorded 35 new cases and a further seven deaths.
In the past week there have been 99 new cases without a known source, or "mystery cases" in Victoria. Speaking on Nine’s Today show, Dr Coatsworth said Victoria needed to get down to single-digit mystery cases.
“They will need to head down into something that is clearly manageable as it is in NSW,” he said.
Playgrounds have reopened and single people are now allowed to have a single visitor in their social bubble in the first easing of Melbourne's stage four restrictions today.
Queensland recorded no new cases, but the state's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said Queensland would need to hit a 14-day streak of no cases of community transmission before restrictions in the south-east would be eased again.
With Rachael Dexter