NSW Covid updates: State records eighth Omicron Covid case
Another traveller who recently landed in Australia is infected with the Omicron variant, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to eight, including one child.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Another traveller who recently landed in Australia has been infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to eight.
The fully vaccinated person arrived in Sydney on flight SQ231 from Singapore on November 28 and had recently visited southern Africa.
In accordance with the public health order, they have been in hotel quarantine since their arrival.
NSW Health is requesting that every passenger and crew member on board flight SQ231 from Singapore on November 28 to get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received.
Several venues in North Sydney have been listed as exposure sites to the new Omicron variant after an infected passenger visited several places in the city with their family.
Five new venues of concern in the Chatswood area have been listed with dates as far back as Tuesday, November 23, including an apartment block and a shopping centre.
Anyone who visited these venues is being treated as a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
The passenger, who is a child too young to be vaccinated against Covid, travelled on the flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on November 23 and was confirmed to have the Omicron variant on Thursday.
The child’s parents are fully vaccinated and have also tested positive to Covid-19 with genomic sequencing underway to determine if they are infected with the Omicron strain.
The family is now isolating in the Special Health Accommodation.
NSW Health is concerned transmission may have occurred on this flight as the family had not visited southern Africa.
Health officials are requesting all passengers and crew on board this flight get tested immediately and isolate while awaiting further health advice.
SEVENTH OMICRON CASE PUTS NORTH SYDNEY ON ALERT
NSW has recorded a seventh case of the Omicron variant, with concerns raised over possible in-flight transmission.
And North Sydney residents have been put on alert after the infected person visited a set of serviced apartments.
Officials confirmed on Thursday afternoon that a traveller who flew from Sydney to Doha on flight QR908 on November 23 had been revealed to be infected with the new variant following genomic sequencing.
NSW Health confirmed the person hadn’t been in southern Africa, and two household contacts of the person are Covid-positive but are awaiting more tests to see if it is the Omicron variant.
New Omicron case confirmed in NSW pic.twitter.com/yGu07JCL8U
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 2, 2021
“These travellers have not been in southern Africa and NSW Health is concerned transmission may have occurred on this flight,” NSW Health said in a statement.
“NSW Health is now requesting every person who was on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on 23 November immediately get a PCR test and isolate while awaiting further health advice.”
Officials are contacting all passengers and flight crew to give them their isolation stats and requirements.
The infected traveller and companions arrived prior to NSW’s rule for all overseas travellers to get tested and isolate for 72 hours.
The group are now in special health accommodation.
But a venue alert has been issued for the Mantra Serviced Apartments on Brown St, Chatswood, which were visited by the infected traveller from November 23 to November 30 all day.
“Anyone who attended the venue at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. You should continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again,” NSW Health’s statement read.
Western Sydney residents have been put on alert after health authorities confirmed the state’s sixth case of the Omicron Covid variant.
Locals in the southwest Sydney suburb of Liverpool have been put on notice after it was revealed a person infected with the new variant had been infectious in the community.
The case visited Liverpool Chemist Warehouse, The Grove Units 3 – 6, 18 Orange Grove Road on Monday November 29 from 8.10pm to 8.15pm.
Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons wrote on social media: “NSW Health has advised that someone who went to Liverpool, has been diagnosed with the Omicron Covid-19 variant of concern”.
“Anyone who was there at that time is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.”
It’s believed the infected person who visited Liverpool was a fully vaccinated man who recently visited southern Africa and arrived on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on November 25.
Health officials said he was residing in Cabramatta.
NSW has seven confirmed cases of the new variant out of eight in Australia, with the Northern Territory recording its first Omicron case on Wednesday.
NSW Health can officially confirm a sixth traveller has been infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 1, 2021
More information: https://t.co/t0ecGT0lnDpic.twitter.com/lVgPYNW7Se
On Wednesday, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the man, aged in his 40s, flew in to Sydney on Thursday after spending six months in Nigeria. He is experiencing mild symptoms.
Five other cases of Omicron in returned travellers have been identified since Sunday, including a woman who arrived prior to the new quarantine arrangements and was infectious in the community in Sydney and the Central Coast.
Five other cases of Omicron in returned travellers have been identified since Sunday, including a woman who arrived prior to the new quarantine arrangements and was infectious in the community in Sydney and the Central Coast.
Mr Hazzard said he had spoke with NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant who had provided “lots of advice” on Omicron, but that Australian health advisers were “struggling” to come up with advice for the new variant.
He added while NSW had enough beds for returned travellers for now, he was not keen to see hotel quarantine return in full swing.
“It‘s fair to say all of the epidemiologists in the country are struggling with what should happen. Obviously they would err on a precautionary side, because that’s their job,” he said.
“We still have capacity going forward for the time being. And certainly, as someone who has seen all the challenges of hotel quarantine, I‘m not keen to be doing down that path.”
Mr Hazzard also flagged Omicron could be handled very differently to the Delta strain.
Earlier, he said: “At this stage I have to say the premier and I as health Minister are not keen to see a return to lockdowns. As one who has delivered that news, bad news to the community on many occasions, I feel like it‘s time for a change in approach. We don’t know how many more variants of this virus are going to come.”
Premier Dominic Perrottet said all Australian states were going to work “in unity” to deal with the new Covid-19 variant.
Mr Perrottet said he had met with Dr Chant four times this week to tackle the Omicron variant.
“What the role of the government is to assess a situation, understand what’s in front of us and make decisions based on evidence and not fear mongering,” he said.
Mr Perrottet said NSW was not going to for an elimination strategy.
“Any view that you can eliminate Covid has clearly been proven wrong,” he said.
The Premier said he did not want to go back on his promise to the people of NSW that if they get vaccinated, they won’t be locked down.
There were 251 new Covid cases and no deaths reported in NSW on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening state officials announced tough new measures for both overseas travellers and Covid rule breakers now that NSW has begun to see the Omicron variant arrive on our shores.
Quarantine for overseas travellers from impacted African nations are now in place, with arrivals from eight African nations now forced into hotel isolation.
Anyone travelling from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi must do 14 days in health accommodation before being allowed out into NSW.
Travellers from everywhere else in the world can no longer travel in freely, and must get tested and quarantine for 72 hours at home once they arrive in NSW.
They will need another PCR test on day six in the state, provided they test negative in the first swab.
International flight crews will have to follow the same rules as overseas travellers until their next flight.
The new measures also include beefed-up fines for rule breakers who try to skip testing, isolation and quarantine requirements.
From December 1, penalties for noncompliance with the requirements will increase from $1000 to $5,000 for individuals and from $5000 to $10,000 for corporations.
Mr Hazzard said there was no room for rule breaking in NSW.
“I would warn anyone who can think they can skip the isolation requirements to think twice – we are taking this new variant incredibly seriously,” he said.
“Police and Health officials will be on the front foot to ensure compliance and significant penalties will apply for anyone found to be breaking the rules.”
Originally published as NSW Covid updates: State records eighth Omicron Covid case
Join the conversation
‘Go Jo, you’re taking us for a ride’: Readers want Haylen gone
Daily Telegraph readers overwhelmingly believe that both Transport Minister Jo Haylen and Housing Minister Rose Jackson should step down from their jobs after a taxpayer-funded Hunter Valley jaunt.
Read more
Fears alleged criminals not being watched for months
An urgent review has begun on the use of private electronic monitoring devices, such as ankle bracelets, as authorities scramble to find more than 20 alleged criminals still on bail amid concerns they have not being tracked for months.
Read more