Coronavirus: No new local cases in NSW; Jetstar flight alert

NSW has recorded no new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, marking the state’s ninth day with no community transmission. It comes as health authorities work to track down passengers on a Melbourne to Sydney Jetstar flight.

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NSW has notched up another day with no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19.

It has now been nine days since the state recorded a recent locally acquired case of the virus.

Two new cases were detected in returned overseas travellers.

The cases were detected in just 8305 tests — about 2,000 fewer tests than the day before.

It comes just a day after the state recorded just one infection in the past 24 hours to 8pm Friday, who was an returned overseas traveller, who remains in hotel quarantine.

The day before four other returned travellers had tested positive for the virus after 10,000 tests were conducted.

WATCH: Dr Christine Selvey provides a #COVID19 update for Saturday 3 October pic.twitter.com/APdmyMBYne

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) October 3, 2020

The two new cases takes the total number of infections confirmed in NSW since the virus arrived in Australia at 4045.

It marks the longest streak of no cases being passed on from within the community and clears the path for the border with Queensland, as well as a trans-Tasman bubble, to open within the coming months.

Queensland Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk had flagged NSW needed to have 28 days of no local transmissions before she would consider opening the border, potentially on November 1.

Virus alert for Jetstar flight

NSW Health is contacting travellers who flew from Melbourne to Sydney aboard a Jetstar flight last Sunday, after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.

Health authorities are scrambling to track down 47 people who flew into NSW on Jetstar flight JQ510 back in September. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

The majority of passengers on the Jetstar Flight JQ510, which left Melbourne at 11am on September 27, are already undertaking mandatory hotel quarantine.

This traveller tested positive to a Day 2 test in hotel quarantine and is believed to have travelled while infectious.

NSW is contacting 47 passengers travelling with special permits or quarantine exemptions or crew.

Those deemed close contacts of the case have been advised to immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days and stay isolated for the entire period, even if a negative test result is received.

There is no ongoing risk of infection to the general public.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TO ESTABLISH TRAVEL BUBBLE

Australia and New Zealand have reached an agreement to establish a travel bubble between the two nations.

The development follows New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week confirming she was open to individual agreements with state governments.

The agreement is understood to enable New Zealanders to fly to NSW and the Northern Territory from 12.01am on Friday, October 16.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack on Friday announced the first stage of the arrangement.

Australia and New Zealand have reached an agreement to establish a travel bubble between the two nations.

“This will allow New Zealanders and other residents in New Zealand who have not been in an area designated as a COVID-19 hot spot in NZ in the preceding 14 days to travel quarantine free to Australia,” he said.

“I know that NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and I know that the chief minister of the Northern Territory Michael Gunner welcome this indeed.”

The move will free up an additional 325 places in hotel quarantine each week for travellers returning to Sydney.

“This trans-Tasman bubble means that there are going to be more places open for more Australians to come home from abroad,” Mr McCormack said.

Australian Border Force will also be at airports to collect additional information for contact tracing from arriving New Zealanders, who health experts say pose a low risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Mr McCormack said any state or territory that imposes travel restrictions consistent with the Commonwealth-based definition hot spot will be able to participate and that is an important note.

He has also spoken with South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, whose state is expected to be the next to join the travel bubble.

“If Queensland were to agree to this definition, around an additional 250 quarantine places could be freed up, allowing Australians from other world locations to arrive in Brisbane,” Mr McCormack said.

“If Western Australia wants to avail themselves of this, they only have to say the word and I’m sure it will be made possible.”

QLD to open border with NSW, four new cases

Queensland will open its borders to NSW on November 1, provided there have been 28 consecutive days without a locally acquired case of coronavirus.

QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk released a new road map to reduced restrictions for travellers to the Sunshine State this morning.

Those with valid border declaration passes will no longer have to complete a mandatory fortnight of quarantine from November 1.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Richard Gosling

NSW recorded four new cases of coronavirus on Friday, with all of those returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

This marks the seventh consecutive day of zero community transmission.

But NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian once again urged residents not to become complacent.

More details are likely to be available in the daily NSW Health update later in the morning.

Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded seven new coronavirus cases and two more deaths.

The state‘s death toll is now 802.

The consistently low infection numbers mean Melbourne‘s all-important 14-day average remains firmly below 15, standing at 12.8.

That figure must be around five for the Government to consider reopening the city.

It comes as a small virus cluster in Frankston, Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs, can be linked back to infected workers from the fresh food section of Chadstone shopping centre.