NSW reports 10,130 cases, 24 deaths in the past 24 hours as hospital visit rules ease

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has flagged a big change to one Covid-19 rule after the previous regulation caused ‘heartbreaking’ problems.

NSW will change hospital visit guidelines so that family members of terminally ill people will be able to see their loved ones before they die.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said there had been “many heartbreaking stories” as a result of restrictions on hospital visitors.

“It has always been a fine balance,” he said on Thursday.

“We have to be cautious given the high-risk setting of our hospitals, but ultimately we want to make sure that compassion is the major focus.

“The (changes) will make a real difference to provide support for those people who are coming to the end of life and ensuring that they have their friends, their carers and their family around them.”

The NSW Premier said hospital visit rules would change. Picture Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

Health Minister Brad Hazzard clarified that the new guidelines would focus on patients who were close to the end of their lives.

“This gives it a very clear presumption that if someone’s passing away … there will be an assumption that the family members can come in,” he said.

NSW Health has so far restricted most visits because of fears the coronavirus will spread to vulnerable patients.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has personally apologised to Sydney woman Gayle Roberts, who was forced to wait outside a hospital as her mother died alone inside.

The announcement came as NSW recorded another 24 Covid-19 deaths and 10,130 new cases in the latest 24-hour reporting period.

Thursday’s update from NSW Health said there were 1795 Covid patients in hospital, with 121 in intensive care.

There were 10,130 new infections.

This included 5824 results from rapid antigen tests and 4306 from PCR tests.

Fifty per cent of eligible people in NSW have had a third vaccine dose.

Most pandemic restrictions are set to be scrapped on February 27, with health authorities also reviewing when non-urgent elective surgery can resume at public hospitals.