After nearly two weeks of no new locally acquired coronavirus cases in NSW, health authorities have detected three new infections.
Premier Gladys Berejikilian said NSW had reached 12 days without recording a single locally acquired case, but flagged three new cases would be counted in Thursday's recording period because they were reported after the daily 8pm deadline on Tuesday.
"Concerningly, overnight, we've had three cases of community transmission. None of those cases are related to each other. Two are from southwestern Sydney and one is from western Sydney," she told reporters on Wednesday.
The new cases were announced hours after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed even a single case of community transmission in NSW would send it back to square one in its quest to have the border re-open.
She has said the border would re-open on November 1 only if NSW had 28 days with no community transmission of COVID-19.
A deflated Ms Berejikilian again implored her Queensland counterpart to reconsider her "unrealisitic" stance.
"We're always going to have cases pop up because we're in a pandemic, but we're also in an economy which is open," she said.
"I say to the Queensland government, I appreciate you will probably come out today and say the 28 days is ticking from the start. Until the end of the pandemic, it is unlikely that NSW will get to 28 days with no community transmission."
NSW Health said no new locally acquired cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, but three returned travellers in hotel quarantine were diagnosed.
NSW Health remains concerned about low testing rates over the past week.
There were 5970 tests reported in the 24-hour reporting period, compared with 5385 in the previous 24 hours.
NSW Health maintains at least 8000 people should be tested every day.
On Tuesday sewage surveillance also detected the virus at the North Richmond and West Camden treatment plants.
