Fears that NSW could suffer a second wave on a similar scale to Melbourne’s were further quelled on September 27, as the state recorded zero new cases within a 24-hour reporting period for the first time in almost four months. This promising milestone follows a week in which several consecutive days recorded no new local cases, with the majority of new cases found in returning travellers in hotel quarantine.
The last time the state recorded 24 hours without any new cases was on June 10, but since then a small surge in cases, largely driven by community transmission, had put the state on high alert. However, despite multiple outbreaks involving locations across the state in recent months, NSW’s contact tracers have been able to cut the chains of transmission to bring the spread of the virus back under control.
NSW’s progress has already allowed the border with South Australia to reopen, however, the Queensland government has said that the state must record 14 consecutive days without any new instances of community transmission before it considers reopening its southern border.