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NSW records no new cases but there’s a virus alert for Sydney’s northwest

NSW has marked a major virus milestone that hadn’t been achieved in a month, but several suburbs in the northwest are on alert.

NSW in the 'mop-up phase' as the state as cases remain low

Thousands of residents in Sydney’s northwest have been urged to remain “extra vigilant” after fragments of COVID-19 were detected in the sewage.

Officials identified the virus in samples taken from the treatment plant in West Hornsby that caters for 58,000 residents across a 14 suburbs.

NSW Health issued the alert on Friday and is urging anyone who lives or works in the area to monitor for symptoms.

“While this could reflect known returned travellers in the area, everyone living or working in Glenorie, Wahroonga, Thornleigh, Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Galston, Dural, Westleigh, Glenhaven, Waitara, Hornsby, Normanhurst and West Pennant Hills should monitor for symptoms and get tested and isolate immediately if they appear,” the department said.

NSW has recorded another day of no community cases. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley
NSW has recorded another day of no community cases. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

The warning comes as NSW achieved its second day of zero community cases, marking the first time the state has recorded two consecutive day of no cases since December 15.

However, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said testing rates “are not where we’d like them to be”.

More than 16,000 turned out for testing up to 8pm on Thursday, down on the benchmark 20,000.

The Premier warned the state government wouldn’t have the confidence to ease restrictions unless testing numbers increased.

But she said government officials were in the process of “considering” what restrictions could be eased, particularly around weddings, mask wearing and the number of people allowed in households.

“These are the type of issues we are looking at now but we won‘t have the confidence to move forward and have those easing (of restrictions) until we have those high rates of testing,” she said.

“We are definitely in that space, but we just need a few more days.”

Originally published as NSW records no new cases but there’s a virus alert for Sydney’s northwest

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/health/nsw-records-zero-new-local-cases-of-covid19-for-second-day-in-row/news-story/a4efddfd1a085812f63324f880c0b0af