NSW Covid updates: 813 cases, 10 deaths as international borders set to reopen

NSW Health has issued a warning for NRL fans not to gather at homes for the NRL grand final as 10 people died and 813 new local cases were recorded.

NSW recorded 813 local Covid cases and 10 deaths, as NSW Health warned NRL fans not to gather at homes for the grand final.

Six men and four women died from Covid, two at home, with 1005 currently in hospital — 202 in the ICU and 99 on ventilator.

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said a number of suburbs were still recording high cases — such as in Greenacre, Mount Pritchard, Liverpool and Belfield — and reminded people social gatherings at home were still banned.

“Fans need to continue to follow the safety rules to keep yourselves and your loved ones and the community safe from Covid. Social gatherings are not permitted at homes,” Dr McAnulty said.

South Sydney fans Emma Richards and Jacinta Isles at the NRL Grand Final Fan Fest in Brisbane. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty

This comes as the state’s first dose vaccination rate for people aged 16 and over reached 87.7 per cent, and 65.2 per cent of the state is double vaccinated.

In relation to the deaths, one was in their 50s, three people were in their 60s, two people were in their 70s, three people were in their 80s, and one person was in their 90s.

“Five people were from south western Sydney, two people were from western Sydney, one person was from Sydney’s inner city, one person was from the Wollongong area, and one person was from the Lake Macquarie area,” NSW Health said in a statement.

“Four people were not vaccinated, five people had received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and one person had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.”

NSW recorded 813 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/DabSeyA3QP

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) October 2, 2021

Dr McAnulty said the man who died after receiving two doses of the vaccine contracted the virus in Mount Druitt Hospital and had underlying health issues.

Borders to reopen: What you need to know

Australians looking to travel overseas can expect lower off-peak airfares, a plethora of destination options and an empty seat next to them.

Travel industry figures predict a stampede following Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement that international borders will reopen in November.

Flight Centre general manager Kelly Spencer said Fiji, Hawaii, UK, US, Singapore, Canada and New Zealand were the top countries for prospective travellers.

The nationwide travel agency has seen a 300 per cent increase in inquiries since late Thursday night when news of the international border reopening leaked out.

“When New Zealand opened up the level of pent-up demand was huge and we are anticipating an amazing travel boom (here),” Ms Spencer said.

“It’s very exciting news considering we have been unable to travel for the past 18 months.”

Ms Spencer said travel insurance would be a highly variable element depending upon the provider.

A trip to Fiji is back on the agenda as international borders open.

She said basic policies would most likely not cover Covid-19 events but higher premiums would cover both getting sick and late cancellations.

“Some international governments will require travel insurance to be taken out,” she said.

“We feel that travel insurance is always around peace of mind (for customers) and what will be an uncertain time as things open back up.”

Ms Spencer said accommodation providers were clamouring to advertise their Covid-safe credentials, as customers actively sought out this information.

“Due to the high competition this is not resulting in any notable increase in prices,” she said.

Qantas announced Friday it would bring forward the restart of its international flights to November 14.

The national carrier will operate three weekly return flights between Sydney and London and three weekly return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

At this stage, all other international routes that were scheduled to resume from December 18 will continue as planned.

Qantas said fares start from $1662 return for Sydney-Los Angeles and $1869 return for Sydney-London.

A trip to London will also be possible from November.

Ms Spencer thinks that airfares will remain similar to pre-pandemic levels, however UNSW academic and former Qantas chief economist Dr Tony Webber thinks travellers will be in for a treat.

“We might be looking at a 10–20 per discount initially on airfares as airlines look to get confidence back in air travel,” he said.

“Then six to 12 months after that the airlines will look to repair their balance sheets and that will push airfares up higher.

“That could mean prices go up about 5 per cent every year for a few years.”

Dr Webber said overwhelming demand meant prices around peak travel times, such as the European summer, would be stable.

Domestically, he expected similar price drops to what happened after the first NSW lockdown, when Jetstar charged people $30 for a one-way trip from Sydney to Melbourne.

As for the actual travel experience, TripADeal founder Norm Black said travellers were more likely to be sitting next to an empty seat, see line-ups for tickets replaced by online booking and have an even more regimented routine when moving through airports.

“People are absolutely crazy to get out there, especially among the baby boomer and retiree group,” he said.

“They are saying ‘we have lost two years of travel in retirement and are ready to go on holiday’.”

Nicole Billingham at Sydney Airport ahead of her flight home to Zurich. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

University of Queensland infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Griffin said people should be closely monitoring case numbers in their desired destinations.

He said it is also important to scrutinise details of travel insurance policies in the event you would get sick.

“The main thing is to be well informed about the risks at that destination.”

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Inaction anchors our cruise industry

Australians may soon be setting off on cruises in ­Europe, the US and Asia but there is still no clear pathway for them to travel along their own coastline.

Despite Scott Morrison announcing Australia will reopen to the world, a lack of a clear plan for the resumption of cruises is jeopardising the $5bn industry.

Bookings for international cruise ship holidays have significantly increased over the past six months, according to Flight Centre general manager Kelly Spencer. Ms Spencer said travellers were mainly planning departures in 2022 and 2023.

“Cruise bookings have been really ­resilient,” she said.

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia managing director Joel Katz said the industry remained in limbo in Australia.

“Eighty per cent of the global cruise ship fleet will be back in service by December this year,” he said.

“Australia is now one of the only major cruise markets in the world with no clear plan for ­cruising’s revival.

“Australians love to cruise, but we now face the ridiculous possibility that we will be able to travel overseas to take a cruise but won’t be able to sail in our own waters.”

Mr Katz said stringent new health protocols had allowed a successful resumption of cruising in dozens of countries overseas, where almost two million passengers had sailed since last year.

“We need detailed discussions with Australian governments so we can break the cycle of inaction,” he said.

“The health protocols introduced overseas are working and we need an opportunity to introduce them in Australia so we can plan a careful and responsible recovery.”

TripADeal founder Norm Black said there has been strong demand for cruises to both Antarctica and Hawaii.

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