18 November 2020

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

Seven cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. This brings the total number of cases in NSW to 4,320 since the start of the pandemic.

CasesCount
Confirmed cases (incl. interstate residents in NSW health care facilities) 4,320
Deaths (in NSW from confirmed cases) 55
Total tests carried out 3,316,716
There were 17,047 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with 8,588 in the previous 24 hours. 

NSW Health is treating 64 COVID-19 cases, none of whom are in intensive care. Most cases – 97 per cent – are being treated by NSW Health in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.

Following the recent case notifications in South Australia, health and travel advice has been upgraded. NSW residents are now advised to defer non-essential travel to Adelaide, while people from Adelaide should defer non-essential travel to NSW.

If you have recently returned from Adelaide and have been to any of the sites of concern listed on the SA Health website , whether listed as “People who must quarantine” or “Monitor your symptoms”,  please get tested immediately, regardless of symptoms.

“People who must quarantine” must isolate for a full 14 days from the time they were at the venue, regardless of whether the test result is positive or negative. People who visited the “Monitor your symptoms” locations should isolate until a negative result has been received, and get tested and isolate again should any symptoms develop.

If you have visited Adelaide on or since 7 November, even if you did not visit the listed venues, please minimise contact with other people until 14 days after you were last in Adelaide. That means avoiding contact with other households, and minimising contact at work and socially as much as possible. Please monitor for symptoms and get tested and isolate immediately if they appear.

NSW Health is continuing to contact people who have recently arrived on flights from South Australia, and is screening all new arrivals via plane and bus. This includes asking whether they have visited any of the venues of concern, and testing those who have symptoms.

Please contact NSW Health on 1300 066 055 if you have any queries about recent travel to Adelaide, or would like assistance in accessing testing if you have been at any of the venues of concern identified by SA Health.

Though there have been no new locally acquired cases in NSW for the past 11 days, in the past cases have appeared following several days without cases because of transmission among people with mild or no symptoms. If people don’t come forward for testing, outbreaks can easily be missed early on when they can be more readily controlled. 

Now is not the time to drop our guard. Everyone needs to continue to be alert to the ongoing risk of transmission of COVID-19, to keep practising physical distancing and good hand hygiene, and most importantly to get tested and isolate if they feel unwell. Symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat, cough, tiredness, fever or other symptoms could be COVID-19.

There are more than 300 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW. To find your nearest clinic visit COVID-19 testing clinics or contact your GP. Most people receive their test results within 24 hours.

To help stop the spread of COVID-19:

  • If you are unwell, get tested and isolate right away – don’t delay.
  • Wash your hands regularly. Take hand sanitiser with you when you go out.
  • Keep your distance. Leave 1.5 metres between yourself and others.
  • Wear a mask when using public transport, rideshares and taxis, and in shops, places of worship and other places where you can’t physically distance. When taking taxis or rideshares, commuters should also sit in the back.

Likely source of confirmed COVID-19 cases in NSW

Likely source of infectionCases past 24 hours*Cases past 7 days**All cases
Overseas 7
32
2,360
Interstate 0090
Locally acquired – contact of a confirmed case and/or in a known cluster 001,475
Locally acquired – source not identified 00395
Total7
32
4,320

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

*notified from 8pm 16 November 2020 to 8pm 17 November 2020
**from 8pm 11 November 2020 to 8pm 17 November 2020

Returned travellers in hotel quarantine to date

Since 29 March 2020Count
Symptomatic travellers tested 6,919
Found positive 153
Since 30 June 2020Count
Asymptomatic travellers screened at day 2 47,523
Found positive262
Since 15 May 2020Count
Asymptomatic travellers screened at day 1059,638
Found positive143