“That is a huge step for us to make sure that people who are isolating because they think they might have the virus,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this morning.
“Obviously if you are positive, we need to contact you to see whether you need medical attention [and] also in relation to tracing your contacts.”
Berejiklian said NSW has conducted almost double the number of tests compared to other states.
“The rate of testing in NSW is really allowing us to control the spread, and that will obviously continue this week,” she said.
It comes as NSW reported seven new cases overnight, taking the state’s total to 2870.
The new cases confirm a continual slowing of the infection rate across the state.
There were no deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
Thirty two people are seriously ill in ICU, and 19 of those ventilated.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant pinpointed 12 areas of concern where she wanted an increase in testing to track community transmissions: Penrith, the Inner West, Liverpool, Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra, Blacktown, Cumberland, Westmead, Ryde, Manning and Lake Macquarie.
“In those areas we have diagnosed identified cases of COVID-19 where there aren’t clear links to clusters and so we want to assure ourselves there is not broader community transmission occurring in those areas,” she said.
NSW has recorded 26 deaths from coronavirus, while the national toll stands at 61.
