29 March 2021

NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Two new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,094.

There were 8,037 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 8,204.

CasesCount
Confirmed cases (including interstate residents in NSW health care facilities) 5,094
Deaths (in NSW from confirmed cases) 56
Total tests carried out 5,324,548

Queensland Health has advised that two new cases of COVID-19 attended a number of venues in the Byron Bay area from Friday March 26 to Sunday March 28 before returning to Queensland.

Urgent investigations and contact tracing are underway, and NSW Health will provide further updates throughout the day.

NSW Health is advising people against non-essential travel to the Greater Brisbane area at this time.

NSW Health is urging anyone in the Byron Bay area with even the mildest of symptoms to come forward for testing and self-isolate immediately. To find your nearest clinic, visit: COVID-19 clinics, or contact your GP.

Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed below should get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advice is provided by NSW Health after we assess the transmission risk at these venues:

SuburbVenueAddressDate and time
Byron BayByron Beach Hotel1 Bay St, Byron Bay NSW 2481Friday 26 March, 2021
From 7:15pm – 8:30pm
Byron BayThe Farm Byron Bay11 Ewingsdale Rd, Ewingsdale NSW 2481Sunday 28 March, 2021
From 8:00am – 9:30am

A complete list of venues of concern, and the related health advice, will be available on the NSW Government website and people from the Byron Bay area or those who visited at the weekend are advised to check it regularly for updates.

NSW Health is providing new COVID-19 testing clinics and increasing the hours of existing clinics across Northern NSW today. Two new clinics will be in operation in Byron Bay, including a drive-through, and Byron Central Hospital will increase its operating hours:

  • Byron Bay QML Pathology Drive-Through, Cavanbah Sports Ground, 249 Ewingsdale Rd, Byron Bay. Open from 8am to 8pm 7 days from midday today.
  • Byron Bay Walk-in Pop-Up Clinic; Byron Bay surf club car park, Bay St, Byron Bay. Open from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Sunday from this afternoon.
  • Byron Central Hospital walk-in, 54 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale. Open from 9am-630pm, 7 days a week.

NSW Health will also extend the hours of operation of other nearby testing clinics, including those in Tweed and Ballina.

Updated clinic opening hours will be available on the NSW Government website. It is recommended you check the website to ensure you have the most up-to-date clinic information.

NSW Health urges everyone to continue to take practical measures to stay COVID-safe. This includes always using QR codes to check in to venues, staying home and getting tested for COVID-19 if unwell, and practising good hand hygiene.

NSW Health is treating 51 COVID-19 cases, none of whom are in ICU. Most cases (94 per cent) are being treated in non-acute, out-of-hospital care, including returned travellers in the Special Health Accommodation.

There are more than 350 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. To find your nearest clinic, visit: COVID-19 clinics, or contact your GP.

Likely source of confirmed COVID-19 cases in NSW

Likely source of infectionCases past 24 hours*Cases past 7 days**All cases
Overseas 2162,915
Interstate 0090
Locally acquired – linked to known case or cluster 001,644
Locally acquired – no links to known case or cluster00445
Locally acquired – investigation ongoing 000
Under initial investigation000
Total2165,094

Note: Case counts reported for a particular day may vary over time due to ongoing investigations and case review.

*notified from 8pm 27 March 2021 to 8pm 28 March 2021
**from 22 March 2021 to 8pm 28 March 2021

Returned travellers in hotel quarantine to date

Since 29 March 2020Count
Symptomatic travellers tested 11,312
Found positive 215
Since 30 June 2020:
Count
Asymptomatic travellers screened at day 2 88,562
Found positive552
From 15 May 2020 to 12 January 2021Count
Asymptomatic travellers screened at day 1079,623
Found positive182
Since 13 January 2021Count
Asymptomatic travellers screened at day 12*20,591
Found positive
18

* Testing previously carried out on day 10 is now carried out on day 12.

Watch today’s video update with Dr Jeremy McAnulty