NSW records two deaths, 1035 new local COVID-19 cases - Sydney Morning Herald

NSW has recorded 1035 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 up to 8pm on Friday, and one case in hotel quarantine, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said in a press conference on Saturday.

Two deaths were recorded in the same period - a woman in her 70s at Nepean Hospital and a woman in her 80s at Westmead Hospital.

A record 156,165 people received a vaccination in NSW on Friday - more than 61,000 of those at vaccination hubs and the rest from GPs and pharmacies.

Small wedding ceremonies will be allowed from Friday, says Health Minister Brad Hazzard.Credit:Rhett Wyman

Mr Hazzard said that as of 12.01am on Friday this coming week, couples who wish to marry will be able to with a maximum of five guests allowed to attend, “in addition to those obviously necessary for the actual service”. Mr Hazzard said the fine print would be ironed out in the coming days.

The Health Minister also addressed misinformation on social media regarding supposed negative effects of vaccinations on women wishing to have children.

Mr Hazzard said there was no medical evidence to support this, however there were risks for women wanting children if they did contract COVID-19.

Following NSW removing rapid antigen testing as an alternative to vaccination for authorised workers wanting to leave local government areas of concern, Mr Hazzard said that, given 80 per cent of COVID-19 cases were in the south-west and western Sydney community, vaccination was the preferred solution.

Mr Hazzard said it wasn’t practical for smaller businesses to arrange rapid antigen testing, as the federal government advisory body required all antigen testing be done under clinical supervision.

“The rapid antigen testing can still be accommodated through the COVID-safe plans, but the preferred alternative is to have people vaccinated,” he said.

The Herald reported on Saturday that hundreds of Sydney schools would remain closed for the rest of the year unless transmission rates fall in hotspots, due to the strict safety conditions underpinning the government’s pledge to reopen classrooms from October 25.

Almost 200,000 school employees across the state will also need to be vaccinated from November 8 to keep their jobs. This policy has come under fire from Christian schools, which warn that up to 10 per cent of teachers will not obey the mandate.

Meanwhile, the NSW government is considering a plan to ban unvaccinated people from entering restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues once NSW begins opening up after reaching a 70 per cent vaccination rate, according to sources in the hospitality industry.

Consultation with industry groups is under way to discuss the option to require all hospitality staff and patrons to prove they have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine when NSW reopens.

The plan would include merging vaccination certificates and QR code check-ins on either the Service NSW app or a new federal government app.

Border tensions between NSW and Queensland continue to simmer, with NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro releasing a statement on Saturday that contained several reasons why border checkpoints shouldn’t be moved south of the Tweed River.

Speaking to press just after 10am, Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said she was hopeful a resolution between the two states would soon be reached.

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NSW records two deaths, 1035 new local COVID-19 cases - Sydney Morning Herald
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