Social distancing rules to continue in NSW with just two new COVID-19 cases
NSW has recorded just two new cases of coronavirus after 4400 tests were conducted on Sunday, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian said social distancing measures will continue.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said she was pleased not only by the low number of new cases, but that both were able to be traced – one was a returned traveller in quarantine, and the other was a known contact of a previously diagnosed case.
"So in that 24-hour period, no cases of community acquisition where there wasn't a link established," Dr Chant said on Monday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday.Credit:Nick Moir
The new cases bring the NSW total to 3004, 2227 of which have recovered. There remain 160 people receiving treatment for COVID-19, including 19 in ICU with 15 of those requiring ventilators. Dr Chant said 80 per cent of ongoing cases are non-acute and receiving treatment outside hospital.
Dr Chant and Ms Berejiklian stressed the importance of continued widespread testing even as the number of new cases approaches zero.
"As we consider what May and June look like, we must rely on testing and people coming forward and getting tested even if you haven't been in direct contact with someone with the virus," Ms Berejiklian said.
The Premier also encouraged people to download the COVIDSafe app, calling it a "vital tool" to stop the spread.
"It doesn't take long. I managed to do it last night without any help. I encourage everybody to do it. Please make sure you keep your family and yourselves as safe as possible by using every information, every tool available to you," she said.
Meanwhile, as Queensland and Victoria begin to ease some social distancing rules, Ms Berejiklian resisted calls to loosen NSW's restrictions beyond its plans for a staged return to face-to-face teaching in schools.
NSW students are set to return from school holidays to online classes on Wednesday, but the government is planning a return to physical classrooms for at least one day a week from May 11.
Ms Berejiklian said it was a testament to how well people had adhered to social distancing restrictions that the state with the largest coronavirus outbreak was sending students back to classrooms before Victoria and Queensland.
But she said NSW's other social distancing measures would remain unchanged, noting that the state already had a more relaxed approach than its neighbours with regards to retail and what is considered "essential".
"Once people ease back into normal active life ... the number of cases will go up," Ms Berejiklian said.
She said until there is a vaccine or cure, people need to be aware that any easing of restrictions "comes with an obvious consequence, and that obvious consequence is more cases and more people getting sick."
The NSW government also announced it would be boosting its Energy Accounts Payment Assistance Scheme by $30 million in light of the pandemic.
The scheme provides $50 vouchers to people who are suffering from short-term financial hardship and struggling to pay power bills.
"As we go into the colder months, people will be relying on more electricity," Ms Berejiklian said.
"We know with more people working from home, they are using up more energy and please make sure if you feel you're eligible that you apply through Services NSW."