Travellers in coronavirus hotel quarantine could face 10 more days over 'concerning' refusals to take tests
The NSW Government is stepping up its control of those in hotel quarantine, with anyone refusing the request of a test on day 10 of their stay to face a further 10-day extension
Key points:
Testing numbers have now passed 810,000
The cause of the latest locally acquired case is being investigated
Anyone in hotel quarantine who refuses a test on day 10 will now face a 10-day extension to their stay
It comes as the state records one new locally-acquired case — a man in his 70s from Penrith in Western Sydney — amid a record level of tests with 23,733 in a day.
about 150 or 2 per cent of travellers had refused to take the day-10 test since it was introduced on May 15.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said about 150 or 2 per cent of travellers had refused to take the day-10 test since it was introduced on May 15.
The new health orders, which come into force on Monday, are designed to "encourage" everyone to test.
"NSW is very keen to make sure we do whatever we can to keep this COVID-19 virus well and truly under control, if not to get rid of it so to have anybody saying no is quite concerning when they’ve come in from overseas," he said.
No one to date who has left quarantine untested has transmitted the virus to anyone, he said.
"The good news is we don’t believe any of them have caused any grief in the community — in other words, they didn’t come up with positive symptoms afterwards, but we’re not prepared to run the risk going forward."
Coronavirus update: Follow all the latest news in our daily wrap.
Since the test on day 10 was introduced on May 15, 11,634 travellers have been tested with 59 positive COVID-19 cases.
Overall since March 29, when mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine began, 105 travellers have tested positive.
Mr Hazzard said he thought people avoided the day-10 test because they thought they "just can't put up with" more time in quarantine.
"That's the disturbing worry, so that's why we're now going to impose these additional 10 days.
