NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a home quarantine trial. Photo / Getty Images
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a home quarantine trial. Photo / Getty Images
New South Wales has recorded 1331 new local cases of Covid-19.
Six Covid-related deaths were also reported by NSW Health. One person was in their 40s, one person was in their 60s, two people were in their 70s and two people were in their 80s. The death toll in the outbreak is now 228.
There are currently 1219 people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in NSW, with 233 people in intensive care, 123 of whom require ventilation.
Of the eligible population in NSW, 50.6 per cent are fully vaccinated and 81.2 per cent have had their first dose.
NSW Police said it would be out in force today in response to planned unauthorised anti-lockdown protest activity in the Sydney CBD.
NSW Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott warned anyone thinking of protesting this weekend to stay at home, and not come into the city.
"There is no doubt that these protests are a risk to public health – for the community, for police as well as for the individual health of the protesters themselves," Elliott said.
"We've seen past protesters end up contracting Covid-19, so anyone who is still considering protesting needs take a good hard look at themselves."
People arriving in NSW from overseas will soon be able to quarantine at home instead of in a hotel, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed on Friday.
More than 100 fully vaccinated people will take part in a test of the new system, which will only require people to be in isolation for seven days.
If successful, the system will become the new norm and replace the requirement of two weeks in hotel quarantine.
"We want to be able to open up at Sydney and NSW as quickly as possible, so this is a really crucial step," NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said.
Qantas staff will take part in the trial, which will begin within weeks.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a home quarantine trial. Photo / Getty Images
The government hopes to roll out the home quarantine system to the broader public once the state manages to fully vaccinate 80 per cent of the population.
"One of the things that we obviously expect to occur at 80 per cent double dose is to consider our international borders," Berejiklian told reporters.
"That is Aussies coming back home through Sydney Airport, but also our citizens having the opportunity to go overseas where previously they weren't able to."
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hailed the announcement as the "next step" for Australia to reopen.
"NSW has carried the lion's share of quarantining returning Australians and will be leading the way with this trial that could set the standard for the next phases of the way we live with Covid-19," Morrison said in a statement.
"This could mean more families and friends being able to reunite more quickly, more business being able to be done here, and more workers for key industries being able to fill critical jobs."
Victoria
Victoria has recorded 535 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 and one death. Of the new cases, only 62 have been linked back to known clusters.
The state's vaccination rates continue to surge, with more than 70 per cent of eligible Victorians receiving their first dose and 43 per cent fully vaccinated. With the uptake in vaccination rates, Premier Daniel Andrews has signalled an easing of restrictions.
Since 11.59pm last night (local time), fully vaccinated residents are able to gather outdoors in groups of five adults from two households for recreation. Unvaccinated people are able to gather in groups of two.
The state's travel limit has also been extended to 10km, and skate parks and outdoor gyms have reopened along with an increase in permitted exercise time to four hours.
The change comes ahead of the state's road map announcement on Sunday that will detail milestones for rule easing throughout October and November.
Anti-lockdown protest
Melbourne will be shut from 8am-2pm today as police try to prevent a planned anti-lockdown protest from taking place in the CBD.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said earlier this week that police were taking no chances after the violent protests in August.
"Anyone who's planning to come in, it is an illegal gathering and we'll be doing everything we can to prevent that gathering," he said. "We'll be doing everything we can to prevent access to the city."
Victoria police confront anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne's CBD in August. Photo / Getty Images
Those entering the city risk A$5500 fines while A$1800 fines also apply for people outside their 5km zone.
Public transport will not run for those six hours and shuttle buses will be operating to ensure essential workers can get in.
A similar protest last month drew more than 4000 people in the Melbourne CBD on and was marred with violence as police and demonstrators clashed.
Nine police officers were hospitalised due to injuries, with the force's top brass branding it one of the most violent demonstrations in 20 years.
Specialist police donned in full riot gear and holding ballistic shields were forced to fire pepper ball rounds on demonstrators as they charged officers and breached the police line.
"We saw a convergence of people who were placing others at risk of potentially contracting the coronavirus," Patton said. "With the new Delta strain, the risk is exacerbated significantly. We can't allow that to occur again."
Covid Commander Jeroen Weimar said vaccination appointments are being made available at alternative locations.
Queensland has recorded one new locally acquired case of Covid-19, linked to the existing cluster that originated at a school in Brisbane's south.
The case was in isolation throughout their infectious periood.
The Delta scare originated when a 13-year-old student tested positive after a NSW essential worker stayed with her father, but chief health officer Jeannette Young applauded the quick response to the families connected to the school for squashing the spread of community infections.
The state administered more than 25,000 vaccines yesterday.
Of the eligible population in Queensland, 58.75 per cent have had their first vaccination and more than 40 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated.
