NSW records one week with no local cases

New South Wales has marked one week with no local cases of coronavirus, as an urgent warning is sent to 455 NZ travellers.

An urgent warning has been issued to hundreds of New Zealanders currently in NSW after a positive test in Auckland. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

There have been no locally-acquired cases of coronavirus in New South Wales up to 8pm on Friday, but four diagnosed in returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

Saturday marks one week since the state recorded a case of community transmission.

The good news comes hours after NSW Health issued an urgent warning to 455 travellers in the state who had come from New Zealand without quarantining, after a locally acquired case was detected in Auckland.

NSW Health contacted the travellers on Friday night, calling attention to “venues of concern” in the city, consistent with advice being provided in New Zealand.

The same advice was given to passengers arriving in Sydney from New Zealand around the same time.

“No passengers reported having attended the venues of concern and none had symptoms,” a spokeswoman for NSW Health said.

“Airlines will ascertain if passengers have attended these venues before they leave New Zealand and if they have, they will be not allowed to travel.

“The risk posed by quarantine-free travel from New Zealand remains low.”

No cases of locally acquired #COVID19 were diagnosed in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Four cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,297 since the start of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/BxaIsb7GWm

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 14, 2020

Existing warnings for the Rouse Hill area remain in effect, after wastewater samples tested positive for fragments of the virus.

This could be a result of a previously infected person shedding the virus, but health authorities believe there is a chance a person in the area could be infected and has misdiagnosed themselves as just having a cold.

The wastewater was drained from the following suburbs: Quakers Hill, Castle Hill, Annangrove, Kellyville, Box Hill, Kenthurst, Glenhaven, The Ponds, Rouse Hill, North Kellyville, Kellyville Ridge, Beaumont Hills, Stanhope Gardens, Baulkham Hills, Glenwood, Bella Vista, Parklea, Acacia Gardens and Norwest.

Anyone in these areas is urged to get tested immediately should they experience even the mildest symptoms of coronavirus.

There were 17, 184 tests done up to 8pm on Friday night, and there are currently 70 active cases in the state, none of whom are in intensive care.