NSW Premier reintroduces mask mandate, density limits as NSW records 5715 new COVID cases

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced masks will be mandatory across the state in indoor settings from midnight on Thursday, as the state government encourages residents to work from home where possible.

Density limits have also been introduced for indoor hospitality venues. From December 27 to January 27, the state will reintroduce the one-person per 2 square metre rule.

Dominic Perrottet on Thursday afternoon.Credit: Rhett Wyman

“The indoor face mask requirement will also be in place until January 27,” Mr Perrottet said on Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve always said as we have moved through this that we will monitor the situation and the evidence in front of us.”

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said about 80 per cent of new coronavirus infections in NSW were the Omicron variant, and the surge in the highly transmissible strain “largely explains the steep rise in cases”.

Almost 70 per cent of the record 5715 cases reported on Thursday were in the Sydney metropolitan area. A man in his 40s from western Sydney who was not vaccinated and had underlying health issues died at Westmead Hospital.

Mr Perrottet said the “key indicators” were not case numbers but intensive care numbers and hospitalisations.

“Importantly [it is] the ability of our healthcare workers ... to provide the care that people need if they’re seriously ill as they come into the hospital system. What we’re seeing ... is that many of our health workers, around 1500 just today, are either sick or unable through testing requirements to be able to come into work.”

Mr Perrottet said that “we do want to limit mobility, just as we get through this period of time and particularly ... ensuring that our health workers are able to be on the job and provide that care and support for those who are unwell”.

“As we move through this period of time we do have that support for our health officers over this summer and holiday period. In addition to that, we’re encouraging people not to mingle and when you’re out at a restaurant or cafe and a pub or a club, please where possible don’t mingle.

“So we just ask everybody use personal responsibility, please be cautious as we move through this phase,” Mr Perrottet said, adding that with enormous pressure on the testing system people should avoid getting swabbed unless symptomatic.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant continued to be “somewhat challenging” and the government was “on high alert”. He urged adults who were eligible for a booster vaccine dose to book in for that jab as soon as possible.

The reintroduction of a mask mandate and density limits came as the number of daily COVID-19 infections in NSW set a new national record during the pandemic.

Hospitalisations jumped to 347 on Thursday, an increase from 192 compared to the same time last week. Forty-five patients are in ICU, up from 40 on Wednesday.

Members of the public queuing at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic at Rushcutter’s Bay on Thursday.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

The state reported its third highest daily tally of swabs collected since the pandemic began, with almost 160,000 tests performed in a 24-hour period to 8pm on Wednesday.

Snaking queues with hours-long waits have become a common sight across COVID-19 testing clinics throughout the city as people seek test results before heading to Christmas celebrations or travelling interstate.

The Newcastle and City of Sydney local government areas have recorded the highest number of cases in the past week, with large clusters linked to social gatherings driving up transmission.

NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said the state “continues to see mostly unvaccinated people admitted to intensive care”, adding that about 171,000 booster doses have been administered via the state’s vaccination hubs.

Cars queue at the Roselands drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at dawn on Thursday. Credit: Brook Mitchell

“NSW continues to remind people to [wear] a mask where you can’t physically distance. About a quarter of people who are exposed and end up getting [infected] do so after the first seven days,” Dr McAnulty said.

“For the next seven days close contacts should avoid large gatherings and use rapid tests if coming into contact with vulnerable people.”

Earlier, the NSW government held firm against mandatory indoor masks or other social distancing measures despite advice from the nation’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly to mandate them.

NSW is trying to procure a mass order of rapid antigen tests to be made freely available, which could help relieve the queues for PCR tests.

Anyone travelling to Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory requires a negative swab three days before travel, as people without symptoms flood clinics for pre-travel tests.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk flagged on Wednesday that rapid antigen tests could be accepted instead of PCR tests for entry into the state from January 1.

The country's chief medical officers have said that large-scale, non-targeted, asymptomatic testing is "neither epidemiologically sound nor a cost-effective approach to identify disease transmission", and should be strongly discouraged.

On Wednesday, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government is also looking at whether unvaccinated people could be charged for medical costs related to COVID-19 treatment.

“There is certainly discussion taking place as to whether it is fair that unvaccinated people occupy intensive care beds at a very substantial cost to taxpayers, putting the lives of health staff at risk,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

Senator Jacqui Lambie rejected any proposal to charge certain people outside the Medicare system, labelling it unethical.

“Everybody pays their taxes in this country. We’ve always had free healthcare,” she told Nine’s Today show. “People that smoke, that get lung cancer, we look after them. We do everything we can. That is the Australian way.”

Federal Employment Minister Stuart Robert also rubbished the NSW suggestion.

"Healthcare is freely available as a basic right for Australians," he said. "I think it's an unwise direction should any state wish to go that path."

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