Australian Government Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has today extended the declaration for the whole state of New South Wales as a Hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support, until 10 September 2021, with review on or before this date.
Professor Kelly has also declared the Jervis Bay Territory as a Hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support, until 10 September 2021, in line with the declaration for New South Wales, with review on or before this date.
Increasing daily case numbers, and a high proportion of cases infectious whilst in the community has seen ongoing spread around NSW, including to regional areas. A high proportion of new cases are unlinked indicating undetected chains of transmission in the community.
There is an ongoing risk that the virus could continue to spread not only within the state, including into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, but to other jurisdictions in Australia.
Professor Kelly reminds the community of the risk and requests they continue to follow the directions of New South Wales Health.
Declaring a hotspot for Commonwealth support triggers, if required:
- Provision of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile
- Actions for aged care facilities including PPE, single site workforce supplement and integration of an aged care response centre into the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
- Assistance with contact tracing
- Asymptomatic testing via General Practitioner led Respiratory Clinics
- Reprioritisation of vaccine supplies, if required
- Access to COVID-19 Disaster Payment, if eligibility criteria are met
- Two Medicare Benefits Schedule items for telehealth consultations for patients in COVID-19 hotspots.
- Supports for child care services, including additional allowable absences, gap fee waivers and support payments, if other eligibility criteria are met.
