NSW records 30,062 new Covid-19 cases, 16 more deaths on Sunday

Critical workers in the emergency and food sectors can leave isolation if they have no Covid symptoms, in a bid to ensure service delivery.

NSW and Queensland have changed their close contact rules for food logistics workers in a bid to fight supply chain issues that are leaving some supermarket shelves bare.

Employees in the food logistics, manufacturing, transport, postal and warehousing sectors will be able to leave quarantine to attend work in NSW if they have no symptoms.

NSW Health announced the new rules on Sunday morning after chief health officer Kerry Chant signed off on the changes.

In a statement, NSW Health said workers would only be eligible to leave self-isolation if their employer determined their absence posed a high risk of disruption to the delivery of critical services or activities.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant signed off on the changes on Sunday morning. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

These workers must be unable to work from home, must wear a mask and comply with risk-management strategies put in place by their employer, including daily rapid antigen tests.

Any worker who tests positive or who develops symptoms of Covid-19 must self-isolate.

The health department said the exemption from isolation rules for close contacts would also apply to critical emergency services employees who can’t work from home.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison had already tightened the definition of close contacts in a bid to reduce the pressure on workplaces caused by staff having to quarantine.

Following a meeting with state and territory leaders at national cabinet, the Prime Minister said people would only be considered close contacts if they lived in the same house as someone with Covid-19 or spent more than four hours with them.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison had already announced measures to try to ease workforce shortages. Picture: AFP

People who are deemed close contacts must isolate for seven days – 10 days in South Australia – from the last time they were in contact with that person.

National cabinet will meet again this week where workforce shortages and furloughing pressures are expected to be discussed.

Australia’s Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave, which passed 500,000 active cases on Sunday, has caused supply chain issues across the country as essential workers have to isolate.

Other jurisdictions may follow NSW and Queensland in relaxing quarantine requirements for critical workers.

Western Sydney Minister Stuart Ayres said the new rules would come into effect immediately in his state.

“That’s about shoring up our food distribution, food manufacturing supply chains, to make sure that all of those things that we see in our supermarkets and across the general economy can continue to function,” he told reporters on Sunday.

“We’ve always said that we will pivot and we’ll adapt to the conditions that are before us and that’s exactly what we’re doing today.”

Mr Ayres said there was no doubt the next few weeks would be “immensely challenging” for hospital staff but there was relief in sight.

“We are reaching the peak of this Omicron variant and this wave and so we really do need to be able to tough out these next few weeks,” he said.

Supermarkets across Australia are experiencing some delays in stock deliveries because of Covid.

NSW’S DEADLIEST DAY OF THE PANDEMIC

NSW has recorded 30,062 new Covid-19 cases and 16 more deaths on Sunday.

There are 1927 people in hospital with the virus, with 151 of those in intensive care, up from 1795 and 145 patients respectively on Saturday.

The queue at the walk-in Covid testing centre at Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Julian Andrews

The exemptions will apply to critical workers in the following roles: biosecurity and food safety workers in agriculture, manufacturing workers involved in the production of food, beverage, groceries, cleaning and sanitary products and food logistics, delivery, and grocery fulfilment workers.

Emergency services workers who are necessary for the delivery of critical services and who cannot work from home will also be exempt.

Meanwhile, of the over 16 population, 93.7 per cent are double-dose vaccinated while 95.1 per cent have had at least one shot.

There were 98,986 PCR tests processed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday.

Authorities have said residents will be able to log positive rapid antigen test results online through Service NSW from later this week.

NSW hospitals remain under significant pressure with high numbers of hospitalisations and the loss of many medical staff to Covid-19 isolation requirements.

Government officials have said cases are expected to climb higher over the coming weeks and peak in the third or fourth week before a decline in February, according to their modelling.