NSW recorded no new locally required cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. There were three cases in returning overseas travellers, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,928.

NSW Health is screening passengers arriving on flights from Melbourne following the diagnosis of a positive case of COVID-19 in a hotel quarantine worker in Melbourne late on Wednesday. NSW Health is asking anyone who has been in Melbourne since 30 January 2021 to look at the Victorian health website and check if they have visited a public exposure site. If they have they should get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days since being there, regardless of the result. More here.

In response to the reported case of COVID-19 in a West Australian quarantine hotel security guard, who has been infectious while in the West Australian community and to help control the spread of the infection, a new Public Health Order places travellers from Western Australia coming to NSW since 25 January under the same ‘stay-at-home’ restrictions as they would have faced had they stayed in Western Australia. More here.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has issued a COVID-19 update (29 January 2021), in response to the updated Public Health Order concerning mandatory face coverings. The Court will keep this matter under review. 

The number of people in custody in NSW remains lower than in past years due to pandemic-related influences in the justice system. View the NSW Custody statistics here. ​​​​​

New research by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) finds no evidence that appearing in court via audio-visual link (AVL) disadvantages defendants in their access to bail. View report here.

Australia has secured an additional 10 million Pfizer vaccines, bringing to 150 million the number of vaccines secured. Australia’s COVID-19 vaccines will become available in phases, with priority groups receiving the first doses. Priority groups have been identified using public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most affected if they contracted COVID-19, and those most likely to be exposed. More on the roll out here.

Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Philip Lowe, has outlined his views on 'The Year Ahead' in the wake of the pandemic. Read his National Press Club speech​ here.