NSW has recorded four new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19, which includes an earlier detected case in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The source of this infection remains under investigation.
Seven cases were also recorded in returned travellers from more than 26,000 tests in the 24-hour period to Thursday night.
One reported case is linked to the Croydon cluster and is a close contact of a previously reported case. The Croydon cluster now totals 11.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard also confirmed the lockdown in the northern half of the Northern Beaches will lift at 12:01am on Sunday, as previously scheduled.
It comes as Greater Brisbane prepares to enter a hard lockdown from 6pm on Friday after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel was diagnosed with the highly contagious UK variant of COVID-19.
Acting premier John Barilaro said NSW authorities were working with their counterparts in Queensland but the state was not considering a hard border.
“At no point during this pandemic have we ever had a kneejerk reaction or treated the border like a light switch,” he told reporters.
But he said anyone already in transit from Greater Brisbane to NSW must abide by Queensland’s isolation rules, and act as if they had remained in place.
NSW recorded no locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour period to Wednesday night.
The new Northern Beaches case has prompted fresh alerts in a supermarket and discount chemist in the area. NSW Health is updating its list of exposure sites across the state here.
The Service NSW app, which hosts a mandatory check-in system for hospitality venues, stopped working for several hours on Thursday afternoon.
It has been compulsory to use the app in some businesses since the start of 2021.
Meanwhile, the second day of the Australia-India Test is being played at the SCG on Friday, with all attendees forced to wear masks except when eating or drinking.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
