NSW has recorded 207 new Covid cases and the state's 15th death from the virus since the Delta outbreak began.
The latest death is a man aged in his 90s from southwest Sydney who died at Liverpool Hospital yesterday. He had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and his infection was linked to an aged care facility in Liverpool.
Of the new cases, at least 51 were infectious in the community. It was another record day of testing across the state with 117,000 people presenting for swabs.
It comes as a heightened police presence in the eastern suburbs resulted in a jump in the number of fines handed out over the weekend.
According to NSW Police, 22 crews were deployed across eastern Sydney and were proactively patrolling areas including Bondi, Bronte, Watsons Bay, Camp Cove, Coogee, Maroubra, Little Bay, Malabar and the La Perouse National Park.
Police issued 29 $1000 fines, 35 warnings, and conducted 44 business inspections. Nearly 1000 people were spoken to ensuring they hadn't travelled out of locked-down local government areas.
NSW Police had flagged a clampdown on mask-wearing and QR code use at supermarkets and shops in the coming days.
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Updates
After his sons attended a school with a Covid-19 case, Defence Minister Peter Dutton is in quarantine and will miss parliament.
Mr Dutton confirmed his children were close contacts of a positive coronavirus case in a statement on Monday, just own day before he was due to travel to Canberra for a fortnight parliament sitting.
“My sons attend a school subject to the current Queensland Health directive and as a household member I am subject to the 14 day direction,” he said.
“I will quarantine at home with my family.”
Mr Dutton said he would take part in parliament and cabinet meetings remotely.
“I will still perform my duties as Minister for Defence, however the Hon Christian Porter MP will perform Leader of the House duties whilst I am unable to attend,” he said.
“Having had COVID and being fully vaccinated, I have also tested negative this morning.”
Children aged 12 to 15 with an underlying health condition will be immediately eligible to receive a Pfizer vaccine.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has ruled children aged 12 and over who are immunocompromised, as well as those living in very remote areas, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will be able to get the vaccine from August 9.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said this was expected to include about 220,000 children, who are all now considered part of Phase 1B of the National vaccine rollout.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the Pfizer vaccine for Australian children as young as 12 last month, but according to the ATAGI advice, not all are immediately eligible in the current phase.
Seven out of 10 unvaccinated residents from a nursing home in Summer Hill have tested positive to Covid-19.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard blamed the outbreak on a “Christmas in July” lunch which he described as a "super spreading" event.
"Sometimes it's not a good idea to have a Christmas in July (function), right in the middle of the pandemic," he said on Monday.
A spokesman for the nursing home told The Daily Telegraph the function was a "normal lunch" with a Christmas theme "not a party".
There are now 20 cases linked to the outbreak at Wyoming Nursing Home – 18 patients and two staff.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said one unvaccinated Covid patient was being treated in a “high dependency unit” in hospital on Monday.
Thirty two residents from the home were taken to hospital, including some residents who have not tested positive but are considered close contacts.
Dr Chant said a "large number" of other facilities were affected after an infected nurse worked across multiple aged care facilities.
She said NSW Health was working with the Commonwealth to ensure staff are only working at a single facility.
South Australia has recorded zero new Covid cases and restrictions will ease from Wednesday, but borders will be bolstered to keep Delta out.
The state's restrictions will ease after 14 days of no new Covid cases, with the following in effect from midnight on Wednesday:
- Back to 50 per cent density – 1 person per 2 sqm
- Gyms, 1 per 4 sqm
- Masks to remain because of the Delta variant – including schools
- Sport to return but limits on spectators
- Home gatherings to remain at 10, singing and dancing restrictions to stay
- Current restrictions on numbers at funerals and weddings in SA remain
- School excursions and assemblies to return
- Those living in the cross-border bubble will be able to enter SA for sporting competitions from Thursday.
SA premier Steven Marshall said while officials were still "concerned" about the virus, the situation had improved enough to bring down restrictions.
"We are still concerned – yes, it has been 14 days, but if we have missed any cases in SA, we would be picking them up around about now and so we really do need to just be a little bit careful for the next couple of days," Mr Marshall said.
SA residents in Brisbane must now quarantine at home for 14 days if they want to come home, with Mr Marshall not ruling out closing the border completely.
The VIC government has eased the state's restrictions slightly, with a small change for venues.
Limits for group bookings at hospitality venues, tours and gyms will be scrapped from 11.59pm Tuesday. Previously, group sizes could be no larger than 10 but density limits will continue to apply under the change.
Recording two new cases of Covid-19 today, there are currently eight cases in hospital in VIC, including three receiving intensive care.
Victoria’s latest infections are a household contact linked to an AAMI Park case and a household contact of the Moonee Valley testing centre traffic controller.
For more on VIC's Covid latest, click here.
The ongoing Delta outbreak in NSW and fresh concerns for QLD's virus battle have seen VIC bolster border bubble restrictions this morning.
VIC health minister Martin Foley announced NSW residents can now only enter the southern state for the following six reasons:
- Access to goods and services, including medical care and a Covid test
- Care and compassionate reasons.
- Work
- Education
- Vaccination appointments
- Sport and exercise
“Border communities know the Delta variant has changed the rules. We want to make sure the border bubble continues to operate, for essential reasons,” Mr Foley said.
Residents from NSW also cannot travel further than necessary for the six reasons, which means they must use the closest possible location.
The changes will take effect at 11.59pm on Tuesday.
There's to be no early escape from lockdown for Shellharbour just yet, with the state's chief health officer sharing "a little more time" is needed to guarantee the region's freedom.
"We are looking at the data all the time, the advice we had at the beginning was Shellharbour is very connected to Wollongong and we have had a number of cases in Wollongong," Dr Chant said.
"We just need a little bit more time to stabilise and drive down the rates of infection in the area."
It comes despite Shellharbour recording zero cases during this latest outbreak.
Police and soldiers have already made over 1000 compliance checks for people quarantining with Covid or potential rulebreakers, Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys has shared.
"Police and with the assistance of ADF, would go around and check people that were subject to positive cases and also subject to orders, that has occurred over the weekend," Dep Comm Worboys said.
"My understanding is well over a thousand checks have been made already. That will continue this week and will be ramped up until such times as we no longer need to do it."
It comes as the majority of ADF troops hit the ground today to start enforcing Greater Sydney's Covid restrictions.
Dr Kerry Chant has denied claims contact tracers are falling behind but admitted the state's system was "under a lot of stress".
"Certainly, it hasn't been raised that there is a delay, our priority is to call cases that are positive, confirm that they are cases and then ask them for the details of their contacts," Dr Chant said.
"Clearly our systems have been working under a lot of stress but we have been ensuring that those key public health actions and then we get to them later after those public health actions have been taken to do the full case interviews."
She thanked the ADF for stepping in to help, with troops set to help contact tracers track down Covid contacts.
"We have got the Australian Defence Force coming on as well that commenced today to surge our staffing, it has been a busy time," Dr Chant said.
More than 30 residents of an Inner West aged care facility are in hospital, including 18 with Covid after a "superspreader" Christmas in July party at the home.
Dr Kerry Chant confirmed all top floor residents of an Inner West aged care facility are in hospital regardless of their Covid status to keep the remaining residents safe.
"All of the residents in the top floor are being removed, some are COVID positive and some of them are COVID negative, s a precaution to support the staffing and to reduce any infection control risks in that facility," Dr Chant said.
"I am aware that one person is in – getting care in hospital in a more higher acuity, what is called a higher dependency unit and that person is not vaccinated at this stage. "
Brad Hazzard later shared 32 residents were in hospital, and 51 out of 61 residents overall at the Wyoming Nursing Home Facility were vaccinated.
He shared a Christmas in July party was the likely cause of the virus' spread.
"I understand that the actual numbers are believe to have occurred off a super spreading event that occurred in the aged care facility… sometimes it isn't a good idea to have a Christmas in July right in the middle of a pandemic," Mr Hazzard said.
