Lismore Base Hospital staff in the Intensive Care Unit are now caring for one patient who has been confirmed to have COVID-19. 

A Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) spokesperson said the person in care is one of the couple (both in their 60s) who returned home from Sydney recently – and likely caught the virus after being associated with a series of funeral gatherings and a church service attended by a woman in her 40s from Fairfield in western Sydney.

Read more news: UPDATE: Two new COVID-19 cases in the Northern Rivers

The couple drove between Sydney and their home before presenting themselves for testing in Byron Bay.

The spokesperson said this brings the total number of cases to 58 in the local health district, with only two currently active cases. 

Strict procedures for Victorian flights

With concerns escalating about the spread of Covid-19 and the introduction of mandatory mask wearing in Victoria, today NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced new strict procedures for all flights from Victoria. 

Mr Hazzard announced that a strict permit system is in place for all flights arriving in NSW from Victoria and passengers undergo comprehensive police and health checks upon arrival.

“All flights are met by NSW Health staff and police officers to ensure anyone entering NSW complies with the current health orders,” Mr Hazzard said.

“There are only limited reasons anyone from Victoria should be entering NSW and people have been turned back despite being allowed on the plane in Melbourne.

“Victorian residents are not permitted into NSW at all unless they are needed for specific purposes and even then have to apply for and get a permit.

“We are constantly reviewing the situation in Victoria and will adjust the health orders as necessary to protect the people of NSW.”

What are the new rules?

Anyone who flies into NSW from Victoria must either be a NSW resident or have a relevant permit that allows entry into NSW – that can include: defence officials, doctors and nurses, critical workers in energy, mining and construction, child protection workers and disability workers.

All travellers will be provided with a pack of two masks and hand sanitiser by the airlines.

Upon arrival into NSW all passengers from Victoria are given masks if they left them on the plane; have their temperature checked; asked relevant questions about their health; and their permit is checked to ensure it complies with the strict permit system.

Anyone without a valid permit is referred to NSW Police and taken to the Special Health Accommodation to complete 14 days of quarantine.

Home isolation

Strict instructions and rules are in place for those going into ‘Home Isolation’ including:

• Recommended they be collected in a private car by family or friends;
• Not to use public transport to get home;
• To only sit in the back seat of a car with the windows open and air conditioning not on recirculation;
• Told to wear their face masks and observe hand hygiene recommendations ; and
• Called to make sure they arrive home.

NSW Health is provided the contact details of everyone who enters NSW from Victoria.

Police checks

NSW Police is conducting regular compliance checks for people told to go into ‘Home Isolation’ as well as responding to reports from the community in relation to suspected breaches.  

Over the weekend, NSW Police visited almost 600 homes to check that those that were meant to be self-isolating were doing so.

In addition to that, over the same period NSW Police received 374 calls to Crime Stoppers reporting suspected breaches of the health orders, the majority of which were for people suspected of not following self-isolation rules.

Personal Infringement Notices - Mullumbimby

Last weekend, local police issued a Covid-19 related Personal Infringement in the Mullumbimby area.

About 2.45am on Saturday (1 August 2020), officers from Tweed/Byron Police District were called to a house party on Melaleuca Drive, Mullumbimby Creek. 

Police saw a large number of people inside and outside the house, none of whom were appropriately physically distanced. 

The 53-year-old male resident told police he was aware there were too many attendees but wasn’t worried because he believes Coronavirus is just a flu.

The group was dispersed, and he was subsequently issued a $1000 PIN.