NSW Covid updates: Gladys Berejiklian announces 787 new cases, 12 deaths

NSW has seen a significant drop in Covid infections as the premier confirmed the state's 70 per cent reopening date. Read our Covid blog.

Lachlan Leeming, Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell and James O'Doherty

less than 2 min read

September 27, 2021 - 7:33AM

New South Wales records 787 cases, 12 deaths

Twelve more people have died from Covid in NSW as the state recorded 787 new cases.

Four people in their 60s were among those that died as well as two in their 70s, four in their 80s and two in their 90s.

Six of the people who died were not vaccinated, five had received one dose and one person was fully vaccinated.

It comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian said lockdown would ease on October 11, when the state will have hit a 70 per cent vaccination rate. She also unveiled the key changes that will come into place when the state hits an 80 per cent vaccination target.

Read the full list of freedoms here.

Follow Monday morning's updates below.

Updates

Today's Covid news so far

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Thanks for following along on our blog today, it's been a huge morning with lots of Covid announcements for NSW. But in case you've missed it, here's the gist of it:

An 80 per cent double dose roadmap and overall easing of restrictions on December 1 has been announced by NSW officials, including home visits, capacity limits for venues and a date for regional travel in a three stage plan. Click here for all the details.
Unvaccinated people will taste freedom from October 1, and will be able to attend church once the 80 per cent double dose plan is enacted.
International travel will resume sometime in December, with the Premier set to ask Scott Morrison to lift the cap on international arrivals once NSW reaches the vaccine targets.
NSW recorded 787 new cases and 12 deaths, but hit 85 per cent single dose and 60 per cent double dose, with Gladys Berejiklian "confident" the roadmap will begin on October 11.
VIC could be the first state to let NSW travellers in, with the Premier hinting the state's high vaccination rates could allow Christmas travel if her Victorian counterpart agrees.
Interstate, QLD recorded zero cases, VIC recorded 705 and one death, ACt recorded 19 cases and one death.

Thanks again for following along, have a good afternoon- it seems we have lots to look forward to in the coming weeks. We'll be back bright and early on Tuesday with your latest Covid news.

VIC to trial vax passport

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Parts of regional Victoria will help trial a "no jab, no entry" system before its widely adopted around the state.

Twenty trial sites across areas including Warrnambool, Greater Bendigo and East Gippsland will see pubs clubs and entertainment venues reopen for 30 guests indoors and 100 outdoors to trial paper and electronic vaccine passports.

"It’s about seeing how our vaccinated economy system might work, and we will trial that with higher patron numbers and crowds with everyone on site being confirmed as fully vaccinated,” Industry Support Minister Martin Pakula said.

“So in terms of the sort of settings and the industries where we think those trials may work, hospitality, hair and beauty, tourism, some types of events, so potentially race meetings, concerts, community gatherings, all of those types of events will be able to be considered for trials of the double-vax economy.”

It comes as VIC will hit 80 per cent single dose on Tuesday, with some restrictions eased, allowing people to travel 15km from home and sports including golf and tennis to resume.

But Premier Daniel Andrews said he wouldn't give Victorians "a reason to delay" getting the vaccine, refusing to reveal a set date to free unvaccinated peole.

"I am not about giving people reasons to delay. I am about having truthfully, factually, logically a sense of urgency. Going and get vaccinated right now. There is plenty of supply," he said.

"Please go and get your first dose and then your second dose, be part of the 70 per cent and the 80 per cent. And then we can be free and open. I am not ruling it out but I am also not signalling that people can wait another month."

For more on VIC's Covid latest, click here.

Bunnings back open

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Hardware lovers are rejoicing today, with crowds back out in force as Bunnings opened back up for walk-in shoppers.

After being closed temporarily for click and collect only over a month ago, the rest of Bunnings stores opened across Sydney today.

Shoppers flocked back to Bunnings this morning as the Aussie cult hardware store reopened for walk-in shopping.

Customers came in droves to the Alexandria hardware warehouse, but everyone was masked up and followed the strict rules around social distancing and QR check-ins.

It comes as some Bunnings stores not in areas on concern opened on September 6.

"Bunnings stores in Greater Sydney currently closed to retail customers will reopen for essential items from 27 September in line with the latest NSW Government advice," a statement from Bunnings read.

"This will provide residents of Western Sydney with better access to essential products needed to complete emergency home repairs, maintenance and prepare homes for storm season.
We continue to encourage all customers in Greater Sydney to use our online options for non-urgent items."

VIC's Covid numbers breakdown

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Of VIC's 705 new cases:

412 cases are in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, including Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Meadow Heights and Epping
165 cases in Melbourne’s west, at Point Cook and Truganina
84 cases in Melbourne’s south across Pakenham, Dandenong and Hampton Park
32 cases in Melbourne’s east in Boronia and Camberwell
12 cases in regional Victoria in Macedon Ranges, Mitchell, Geelong, Ballarat, Baw Baw and Shepparton.
There are now 8538 active cases across the state.
77.5 per cent of eligible Victorians have received a single dose of a Covid vaccine, while 47.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Three hundred and sixty three Victorians are in hospital with Covid, with 75 patients in intensive care, with 56 on ventilators.

ACT lockdown ends

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Canberrans will come out of lockdown on October 15 provided the outbreak stays "stable" in the ACT for the next fornight.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced lockdown would end at 11:59pm on October 14 if no spikes were recorded.

He also announced new freedoms from this Friday October 1.

"Two people will be able to visit another household at any one time, the outside of home time limit for recreation and other activities will be doubled from two hours to four hours," Mr Barr said.

"Outdoor boot camps, personal training and coaching can recommence with no more than two people, excluding staff. ACT nature parks will also reopen."

The ACT’s pathway forward from 1 October.#Covid19 @ACTHealth pic.twitter.com/36JvVATOBX
— Andrew Barr MLA (@ABarrMLA) September 27, 2021

He added once the lockdown ends, five people will be able to visit another household at any one time and 25 people will able to gather outdoors.

Venues will reopen with capacity limits, and key year groups of school students will return on October 25.

Mr Barr said he expected the ACT to reach 80 per cent double dose sometime in October "ahead of the national average", but said border decisions would be up to other states.

"It is important to note that the ability to travel interstate or overseas will be entirely subject to the border decisions of other state and territory governments," Mr Barr said.

ACT records 19 new cases, lockdown to lift

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

The nation's capital has recorded 19 new cases.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said that the ACT now had 255 active cases and eight in hospital, and one person had died, a man in his 90s.

He announced lockdown would end on October 15 for Canberrans.

ACT COVID-19 update (27 September 2021):
◾️New cases today: 19
◾️Active cases: 255
◾️Total recovered cases: 513
◾️Total cases: 769
◾️Negative test results (past 24 hrs): 4,906
◾️In hospital: 8
◾️Lives lost (since March 2020): 4 pic.twitter.com/vcdcb5dl3s
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) September 27, 2021

NSW could drop to 300 cases

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

NSW could see cases as low as 300 a day by the time the roadmap starts to kick in, according to the Premier.

When asked if she would reveal the projected daily case numbers and hospitalisations, Gladys Berejiklian said officials would rely on the Dohert Institute modelling.

" It looks like we will have, by their definition of a median number of cases when we reopen which is between 300 and 1000."

Guidelines for aged care in the works

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

Dr Kerry CHant has confirmed a plan for aged care visits is underway.

"We are working on updated guidance to allow visits to aged care facilities," Dr Chant said.

"That is being consulted with the sector in relation to vaccinated but also making sure we have updated those COVID safety plans about suggestions of how those visits can happen, perhaps how those visits can happen in rooms or in a setting where it doesn't expose other people and how we can actually get our aged care residents mobile and engaged."

She added the issue of young unvaccinated children visiting aged care was also being considered.

"We probably just need to land what's a reasonable approach there knowing that there will be transmission in children," Dr Chant said.

'Never again': Gladys rules out lockdown

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

The Premier has said apart from localised LGA or town lockdowns, large metro or statewide lockdowns won't happen again.

"We will never have an experience like we have
had ever again," Gladys Berejiklian said.

"There could be localised stay-at-home orders or times we say to communities restrict your activity to your local area. So we can't exclude that, however, once you get to 1 December and you have 90 per cent fully vaccinated the chances of having any of those strict measures are very unlikely."

She added: " I would never say no. You never know what is around the corner in a pandemic but we are confident that the measures we put in place will absolutely prevent us from ever having to go through (lockdown)."

Ms Berejiklian flagged she would approach National Cabinet about plans for booster shots in February and March next year.

Rules for unvaccinated worshippers at church

Kaitlyn Hudson-O'Farrell

The Premier has outlined strict guidelines that will allow unvaccinated people to return to church and places or worship once NSW hits the 80 per cent double dose vaccination rate.

"There will be COVID safety plans in place. The four square metre rule will apply," Gladys Berejiklian said.

"There will be mask wearing, there will be limited singing or chanting so there's still very strict planning in place, very strict plans in place at 80 per cent double dose for places of worship but that is the one exception."

Read related topics:COVID NSW COVID-19 Vaccine Gladys Berejiklian