Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Health
Tiffanie Turnbull and Hannah Ryan

NSW wants more testing to ease rules

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says easing restrictions depends on boosting testing numbers. (AAP)

The NSW government is urging residents to be tested in greater numbers so it can ease public health restrictions, after recording no local coronavirus cases for the second day in a row.

Some 16,070 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday with only two cases identified, both in travellers in hotel quarantine.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Friday the testing rates were "not where we would like them to be".

Just over 20,000 were tested in the previous 24-hour reporting window, but the government wants to see daily numbers over 25,000.

Ms Berejiklian said her government would like to ease restrictions in Greater Sydney within the next week as local case numbers nosedive, but testing numbers need to rise first.

"I want to stress to the community that relief is on its way so long as we maintain low or zero numbers of cases on a daily basis, and also so long as we get those testing rates high," Ms Berejiklian said.

Without increased testing, the government would not have confidence there were no undetected chains of transmission "bubbling away" in the community, Ms Berejiklian said.

Possible changes include allowing children under 12 into homes without counting them in visitor numbers, easing restrictions at weddings and easing mask use rules.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant earlier this week warned it would take at least another three weeks before authorities could be certain the Berala and northern beaches clusters are fully squashed.

The premier flagged the government is considering helping residents to demonstrate they've been vaccinated once the rollout begins, potentially with a tick in the Service NSW phone app.

"There is a positive way that we can incentivise people to take a vaccine, and that is the path that I would like us to take," she said when asked about penalties for people who lie about being immunised.

State governments may end up obtaining data from the federal government on those who are vaccinated.

State and federal governments will also soon discuss issues like whether employers can punish staff who refuse the vaccine, but Ms Berejiklian flagged she would adopt a laissez-faire approach.

"Employers and hospitality venues may make certain decisions about who they have in their workplace or who they have in their venue and that is a matter for them to an extent," Ms Berejiklian said.

Meanwhile, NSW Health has issued an alert for anyone who has been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane, which is linked to six cases of the UK strain.

All 10 people in NSW who stayed in the hotel have been contacted and are self-isolating.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.