Six new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed between 8pm on 25 June and 8pm on 26 June, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 3,174.
One case is a man in his 70’s from the Penrith area. This case is under investigation, and all close contacts have been contacted.
The other five new cases are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
A record total of 23,733* tests were notified in the reporting period, compared with 15,278 tests in the previous 24 hours. NSW Health thanks the community for continuing to take COVID-19 seriously and for getting tested.
More than 810,000 COVID-19 tests have now been carried out in NSW.
There are currently 58 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health, with none in intensive care. In NSW, 2,784 people are known to have recovered from COVID-19.
NSW will ensure all returned international travellers entering Australia will either be tested for COVID19 during their hotel quarantine at day 10, or be required to extend their quarantine by an extra 10 days.
NSW already requests all of these returned travellers undertake a COVID19 test on day 10 of their quarantine, and less than two per cent have refused to take the test.
Since May 15, when NSW Health established the day 10 testing for travellers, 59 of those 11,634 travellers have been found positive.
These cases are in addition to the 3,314 returned travellers who have shown symptoms of COVID19 and been tested in NSW quarantine hotels, before or after day 10. Since 29 March, 105 of those symptomatic returned travellers have been found positive.
In line with the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), NSW Health strongly discourages travel to and from areas of Melbourne with COVID-19 outbreaks until control of community transmission has been contained.
The Victorian Government has identified the local government areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin as the focus of current outbreaks of concern. These areas include the priority suburbs of Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir and Pakenham.
There are also locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported from other areas of metropolitan Melbourne, so we urge anyone who is planning to visit Melbourne to keep up to date with NSW Health and Victorian Health travel advisories. Anyone who returns from Melbourne hotspots, including NSW residents, should not attend aged care facilities, hospitals, or other settings with vulnerable people, and should avoid gatherings outside of their immediate household for a period of 14 days.
To minimise the risk of virus transmission it is essential that all people who have been directed into home isolation and quarantine arrangements follow these directions, and that everyone continues to maintain physical distancing of 1.5 metres and regularly wash their hands.
NSW Health is urging anyone feeling unwell – even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat – to practice good hygiene by coughing and sneezing into their elbow or a tissue, washing their hands regularly, isolate themselves from others and to seek testing via their GP or by visiting one of the COVID-19 testing clinics. A full list of COVID-19 testing clinics is available at COVID-19 clinics.
Counts reported for a particular day may vary over time with ongoing enhanced surveillance activities.
* Further details of testing by date of specimen is available here: /Infectious/covid-19/Pages/weekly-reports.aspx
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