Health authorities have revealed a truck driver from NSW visited Queensland while infected with Covid-19, leading to urgent contact tracing alerts along the border.
Exposure sites have emerged at Archerfield and Goondiwindi with the driver infectious in the community for a full day.
“The truck driver entered Queensland on the 25 August and returned to New South Wales on the 26 August,” the Queensland Health alert said.
“Please contact New South Wales health authorities for specific information relating to this case.”
NSW Covid Updates: 1116 new cases and four deaths
NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale has backed the prospect of releasing inmates from jails to stop Covid transmission.
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NSW has recorded 1116 new Covid cases and four more people have died from the virus.
The latest fatalities were all women aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s who were unvaccinated.
More than 148,000 vaccinations were delivered in the past day, prompting the premier to urge businesses to get ready to reopen in mid-October.
NSW recorded 1,116 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/pweTEuCGbn
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 1, 2021
"If you're a business, start dusting off your Covid safety plan. Make sure your employees are vaccinated so we can get back to life at 70 per cent double dose vaccination which we anticipate will happen somewhere around the middle of October. That's the date we're working towards," Gladys Berejiklian said.
"Initially it was the end of October but because of the rates we're seeing people come forward that could be as early as mid-October."
Double vaccinated residents would be able to attend ticketed public events and "go out and have a meal" but indoor gatherings are unlikely at 70 per cent.
"We know that indoor gatherings or people coming to your home are high-risk."
The premier also gave her strongest indication yet that NSW residents would travel internationally, regardless of if domestic Australian travel had kickstarted.
"When we hit the 80 per cent double dose number, which we anticipate will be in November, New South Wales look forward to having our citizens enjoy international travel and New South Wales looks forward to stepping up and welcoming thousands of Australians home who have been waiting to come home for a long time," she said.
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Updates
Alert after infected NSW truckie in Queensland
‘Overseas actor’ planned NSW protests: cops
Police hold fears that lockdowns staged across NSW on Tuesday were organised online “by someone who wasn’t even in the country”.
NSW police confirmed to NCA NewsWire that it was likely a foreign actor had organised protests on Tuesday that resulted in more than 150 arrests and almost 600 fines.
Almost 80 unauthorised protests against lockdowns, which targeted local council chambers, were held in areas including Sutherland, Blacktown, Fairfield and Liverpool.
In regional NSW, protests were also held in Byron Bay, Grafton, Lismore, Dubbo and Shellharbour.
Freedom for VIC residents despite 'dramatic shift' in cases
Victorians will see more freedoms in as little as three weeks despite recording the highest number of daily cases in this outbreak so far.
Premier Daniel Andrews said VIC had seen a "dramatic shift" in case numbers and community infections in recent days, and warned Victorians vaccination would be the pathway out.
"The depth of the seeding of this outbreak has become clear and the chief health officer's advice to me and the government has changed, fundamentally changed," he said.
"We will not see these case numbers go down… they are going to go up. But if we can all play our part in getting vaccinated, if we can reach our 70 per cent first dose target on or about the 23rd of September, then there are some changes that we can make to these rules."
Mr Andrews flagged playgrounds would open from tomorrow night, but the five-kilometre radius will expanded to 10km, for shopping and exercise and outdoor communal gym equipment and skate parks will reopen from September 23 if Victorians can reach the milestone vax rate.
Mr Andrews also flagged that the four weeks of lockdown so far had saved Victoria "6000 cases and 600 hospitalisations".
For more VIC updates, click here.
VIC's Covid case breakdown
Victoria has recorded 120 cases today, and two deaths yesterday, a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 60s.
Of today's cases:
- Sixty four are linked to known outbreaks
- Fifty six are under investigation
- Only 20 were in isolation during their entire infectious period
There are 58 people in hospital, 21 are in ICU are 14 Covid-infected people in Victoria are on a ventilator.
There are now 895 locally-acquired active cases, with 122 still under investigation.
Canberra : No one wants Covid for Xmas
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has remained reserved on holiday travel plans, saying he is worried about Christmas Covid transmission.
Mr Barr said he couldn't comment on what other state and territory border restrictions will be like but warned Canberrans not to expect much
"The national plan is silent on state border restrictions, even at 80 per cent (vaccination)," he said.
"I put it this way — I think everyone would love to be able to have as much travel as possible safely for Christmas but I don't think anyone wants their Christmas present to their family and friends to be a dose of COVID."
Today the ACT has 13 people in hospital with Covid, four in intensive care as new freedoms kicked in allowing Canberrans an extra hour of recreation.
Mr Barr warned people not to go to work even if they have slight symptoms after the ACT saw a "small number" of today's cases come from people working while infected.
"They do not know they are infectious, but they have been at work while infectious. And that
is how the virus is transmitting outside of the household and close contacts," he said.
ACT records 23 new cases
The nation's capital has recorded 23 new cases overnight.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said 14 were linked, mostly household contacts, while nine are still being investigated.
Only 11 were in quarantine during their entire infectious period.
Canberra's Covid total now stands at 256.
ACT COVID-19 update (1 Sept 2021)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) September 1, 2021
◼️ New cases today: 23
◼️ Active cases: 256
◼️ Total recovered cases: 41
◼️ Total cases: 297
◼️ Negative test results (past 24 hours): 2,097
◼️ In hospital: 13 pic.twitter.com/ZEi6m6kkjx
Airlines to decide on international travel
Gladys Berejiklian has said it is up to airlines to decide if unvaccinated people will be allowed to travel interstate or internationally.
"Many airlines will make those decisions for us, many airlines will say 'you cant jump on unless youre vaccinated' and every right to do so," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Irrespective of what government policies say at any stage, private organizations are entitled to have policies to keep other customers safe, to keep their workforce safe and prevent the spread of the disease."
Weddings can go ahead this weekend
The premier has reassured couples with impending nuptials that small weddings can go ahead from this weekend despite no public health order being published yet.
"If that's what we announced thats the intention," Gladys Berejiklian said.
"But often the health orders only come out after the legal work has been done so I'll consult him. But if we announcement about things happening from a certain date, the public can be assured that will happen."
It comes after Mr Hazzard announced weddings of up to five people could go ahead from this weekend.
Premier condemns 'disappointing' protests
Gladys Berejiklian has called NSW's 79 protests yesterday "disappointing".
"It's always disappointing when people know the risks and they forgo the risk because it provides a setback," Ms Berejiklian said.
"When people contribute by attending illegal super spreading events that can be a setback for all of us."
Over 150 people were fined in relation to the gatherings across NSW yesterday.
Health official backs releasing prisoners
A top NSW health official has backed the prospect of releasing prisoners from NSW jails to help stop Covid transmission.
Following an outbreak at Parklea Correction Centre, Dr Marianne Gale shared the figure had risen overnight to 80 linked cases, with three staff and three more inmates infected.
Dr Gale denied any infections had spread to other prisons like Bathurst, but said releasing prisoners from "overcrowded" facilities would help stop transmission.
"From a health perspective, clearly we are concerned about prisons as a setting for spread," Dr Gale said.
"We know the conditions in prisons often are conducive to the spread of communicable diseases, generally… but certainly in terms of reducing public health risk, the few people and the less overcrowdng in the prison system is certainly useful."
Dr Gale shared there were nine cases among staff at Bathurst.
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