NSW records fifth Omicron case, 11 NSW venues exposed to Omicron

NSW Health can confirm initial testing strongly indicates one more overseas traveller, who recently arrived in NSW and is isolating at home on the Central Coast, has been infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern.

When confirmed, this would bring the total number of confirmed cases of Omicron in NSW to five.

The traveller, who is fully vaccinated, arrived in Sydney on flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney on 25 November and travelled by private car to the Central Coast. The traveller had been in southern Africa.

Everyone on the flight is considered a close contact and will need to get tested immediately for COVID-19 and isolate for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status. NSW Health is contacting all passengers and flight crew to advise them of their isolation requirements. They can also call NSW Health on 1800 943 553 for further advice.

NSW Health advises a number of venues were visited by the traveller in Sydney and on the Central Coast before NSW Health directed travellers from southern Africa to go into isolation.

Anyone who attended the following venue at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. You should continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms occur, get tested again:

Please get tested even if you have had a test in recent days. If you test result is negative, please continue to monitor for symptoms and if any symptoms appear, get tested and isolate again.

NSW Health can also advise initial testing on a second case, now residing in Broken Hill, who arrived on the same flight, indicates this person is unlikely to have been infected with the Omicron variant. This person, who is fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, is isolating at home.

In line with Commonwealth measures, all travellers arriving in NSW who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must enter hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status.

All fully vaccinated travellers who have been in any other overseas country during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 72 hours, pending further health advice.

Any unvaccinated arrivals go directly into 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine.

All flight crew who have been overseas during the 14-day period before their arrival in NSW must travel directly to their place of residence or accommodation and isolate for 14 days or until their departure on another flight that leaves Australia, consistent with the current rules for unvaccinated flight crew.

Anyone who has already arrived in NSW who has been in any of the eight African countries within the previous 14 days must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, and call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.