NSW has recorded a second consecutive day without a local coronavirus case, despite more than doubling testing rates from the prior period.
Key points:
- The last time NSW recorded consecutive days of no local transmission was July 3-5
- Ms Berejiklian said high testing rates were crucial to NSW's management of the pandemic
- Health authorities have made progress on cracking the nine anonymous taxi trips taken
Of NSW's new cases recorded to 8:00pm last night, all six were found within overseas travellers confined to mandatory hotel quarantine.
The last time NSW had consecutive days without local transmission of the virus was July 3, 4, and 5.
A total of 16,759 coronavirus swabs were taken yesterday, more than double Monday's total of 7,616 tests.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was a "good result" for the state but urged vigilance.
"Obviously we'd like to see that testing rate continue to be high, and if possible, higher," she said.
Ms Berejiklian also flagged NSW was entering into a higher risk period with school holidays approaching.
"Our population will be more mobile than we have been since about February this year," she said.
Mr Berejiklian said yesterday's announcement of Queensland's border bubble expanding with five NSW local government areas gave her optimism of the northern state easing all border restrictions.
"I feel more confident after yesterday that it could be sooner than I anticipated," she said.
Presently NSW residents are not permitted to enter Queensland without being granted an exemption to travel.
Ms Berejiklian also flagged next week would see the international cap on travellers entering NSW increase to 3,000 people a week.
At the moment NSW takes a maximum of 2,500 overseas travellers each week, but some Australians have spoken out about their ongoing struggle to return.
She said extending this traveller cap put extra strain on agencies including NSW Police and security but maintained her state was up to the task.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said health authorities had progressed in their search for the passengers of nine taxi trips taken while the driver was infectious with COVID-19.
"In terms of the nine trips ... we have used a variety of sources to get access to that information," Dr Chant said.
"The COVIDsafe app did not demonstrate usefulness in this setting."
She said health authorities had been working with the taxi industry to improve record-keeping, including the introduction of mandatory QR codes in the backseat.
It's been more than two weeks since health authorities were stumped by the source of an infection.
The last 'mystery case' was confirmed on September 8.
Ms Berejiklian said she was prepared for the streaks to come to an end as per the "reality of living in a pandemic".
"In a pandemic we are going to have setbacks, we are going to have days where we have cases, we are going to have outbreaks," she said.
"To be fair, I think NSW has been tested more than any other state because we haven't had closed borders, we've had outbreaks, we've had seeding in Victoria and we've managed to get where we are."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA5LTIzL25zdy1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1zZWNvbmQtZGF5LW9mLW5vLWxvY2FsLWNhc2VzLzEyNjkxODAw0gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyNjkxODAw?oc=5
2020-09-23 01:10:00Z
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