COVID-19 Update – NSW schools reopening brought forward, 62.9% of NSW fully vaxxed, 941 new cases – Thursday, 30 September 2021

30 Sep, 2021, 11:27 am01 Oct, 2021, 11:17 am Sarah Mason

Face-to-face learning in NSW schools is set to return a week earlier than expected.

Schools will begin their staggered return to face to face learning on Monday 18 October, one week earlier than initially planned, thanks to the heroic vaccination efforts of NSW.

Students will now return to face-to-face learning with NSW Health approved COVID-safe settings on the following dates:

From 18 October – Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12
From 25 October – Year 2, 6 and 11
From 1 November – Year 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the return to school plan was always linked to the vaccination rates of the community, and thanks to faster vaccination rates than expected, students will be able to return to the classroom sooner.

“We have been clear that a return to school should begin once the state passed 70 per cent fully vaccinated, and thanks to the incredible efforts from the people of NSW, we will reach that milestone sooner than expected,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Families who cannot keep their children at home for any reason have always been able to send their children to school, and that continues to be the case.

Schools will begin communicating their COVID-safe plans to families from next week.

The public health advice for parents to keep their children home from early childhood education and care services where possible will also be lifted from 18 October 2021.

Case details

NSW recorded 941 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of the 941 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 231 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 177 are from Western Sydney LHD, 93 are from South East Sydney LHD, 82 are from Hunter New England LHD, 82 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, 63 are from Sydney LHD, 45 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 43 are from Western NSW LHD 42 are from Northern Sydney LHD, 36 are from Central Coast LHD, 26 are from Southern NSW LHD, three are from Far West LHD, three are from Northern NSW LHD, two are from Mid North Coast LHD, one is from Murrumbidgee LHD, and 12 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

There have been 56,500 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in this outbreak was reported.

There are currently 1,090 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 213 people in intensive care, 105 of whom require ventilation.

There were 120,993 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 120,281.

Six deaths

Sadly, NSW Health is today reporting the deaths of six people with COVID-19 – four men and two women.

Three people were in their 70s, two people were in their 80s, and one person was in their 90s.

Two people were from south western Sydney, one person was from Sydney’s inner west, one person was from western Sydney, one person was from south eastern Sydney, and one person was from north western Sydney.

Four people were not vaccinated and two people had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

NSW Health extends its sincere condolences to their loved ones.

There have been 337 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021 and 393 in total since the start of the pandemic.

62.9% of NSW fully vaccinated

NSW Health administered 26,504 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Across NSW, 86.7 per cent of the over-16 population has received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 62.9 per cent are fully vaccinated to 11.59pm on Tuesday 28 September 2021.

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 9,988,739 with 3,544,341 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 6,444,398 administered by the GP network and other providers to 11.59pm on Tuesday 28 September 2021.

All people aged 12 and up can get their COVID-19 vaccination now – including Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for over 60s.

Appointments are available at more than 3000 locations across NSW including pharmacies, GPs and NSW Health clinics. Find the next available appointment at a location near you.

Lockdown extended for regional NSW

Stay-at-home orders will be extended until 11 October for a number of local government areas (LGAs) in regional NSW due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health risk.

Stay-at-home orders will be extended for the following LGAs until 11 October: Bathurst Regional, Bourke, City of Broken Hill, Central Coast, City of Cessnock, Dubbo Regional, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Kiama, City of Lake Macquarie, City of Lithgow, City of Maitland, City of Newcastle, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional, City of Shellharbour, City of Shoalhaven, and Wingecarribee.

Get tested

If you are directed to get tested for COVID‑19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website.

It remains vital that anyone who has any symptoms or is a close or casual contact of a person with COVID-19, isolates and is tested immediately. When testing clinics are busy, please ensure you stay in line, identify yourself to staff and tell them that you have symptoms or are a contact of a case.

Please check the NSW Government website regularly, and follow the relevant health advice if you have attended a venue of concern or travelled on a public transport route at the same time as a confirmed case of COVID-19. This list is being updated regularly as case investigations proceed.