Dr Chant — who was noticeably missing from the Premier’s first health press conference this week when he announced changes to Dr Chant and Gladys Berejiklian’s roadmap — announced the new cases as she revealed the new Delta strain was being investigated by NSW Health. Dr Chant said it is a new strain of Delta, different to the one transmitting in Sydney. It has been linked to a returning overseas traveller with the strain leaking out into western Sydney. Dr Chant said there is nothing yet to suggest it is more transmissible to the existing strain. There are currently 812 people were in hospital with Covid, and 163 in the ICU.The Hunter New England areas continuing to rise in cases, particularly Taree and Tamworth and of concern. Mr Perrottet revealed NSW is nearing its 90 per cent first dose vaccination rate.Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it’s not “reasonable or fair” that 70 per cent of people are keeping the whole state safe — and every single person should get the jab. Mr Perrottet said as we open up cases will go up, but vaccines will keep people safe. “Our roadmap is more conservative than the federal roadmap set out by the federal government,” he said. “This crisis has many facets from the health side of things, the economy to mental health.“It’s going to be a difficult time as we do open up but I ask everybody across the state to treat people with kindness.” Of the 11 deaths, there were three women and eight men, with one person aged in their 50s, one in their 60s, four people in their 70s, two in their 80s, and three in their 90s.“Four were not vaccinated, three had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and four had received one dose,” NSW Health said in a statement.“A woman in her 80s died at the Hardi Guildford Aged Care Facility, where she acquired her infection. This is the sixth death associated with an outbreak at the facility.“A woman in her 80s died at the Allity Beechwood Aged Care Facility, where she acquired her infection. This is the fifth death associated with an outbreak at this facility.”Premier denies tensions with Dr ChantDespite reports the Premier and Dr Chant were at odds, Mr Perrottet told The Saturday Telegraph they were getting along fine. “Kerry and I have an excellent working relationship. There will be some press conferences she will attend and there will be others she won’t,” he said earlier on Saturday.The Premier spoke from the Redfern public housing towers which recently saw a spike in cases. The Redfern area is trailing behind the rest of the state when it comes to vaccine coverage, with only 50-59 per cent double dosed.In a light-hearted moment, the new Premier accidentally and unknowingly called himself Treasurer.When he referred to it later, he admitted when he thought the of the word premier he thought of “Glad” but jokingly added that Matt Kean, the new Treasurer, still had that job.Gym vaccination rules cause confusion Health order confusion has hit gyms just days before reopening, as some were incorrectly told they could open to the unvaccinated.The Saturday Telegraph understands the NSW Health helpline had mistakenly given advice to gyms that they could host groups of unvaccinated members outdoors.At least one Sydney gym told its vaccinated members they would be welcomed inside on Monday – with 20 per class following the 4 sqm rule – while non-vaccinated members could also train in a group outdoors.A vaccinated gym member who contacted the NSW Health helpline was told her gym was acting “in accordance with the rules” and could host unvaccinated people for outdoor exercise. NSW Health confirmed the advice was incorrect and that all staff and adult gym customers must be fully vaccinated.GYMS AND VACCINATIONSFit4All gym owner Milton Karavas said turning away unvaccinated members would put a financial strain on his business and he was also concerned about the risk of legal action against him for discrimination.“The anti-discrimination act is pretty clear, you cannot discriminate against somebody for their gender, their race whatever reason, but now they are telling us to discriminate,” he said. “Something that has come from the legal advice … is if we do open, and we do discriminate, are we going to be supported by the government?”NED-4534-NSW-Roadmap-to-freedomNon-vaccinated people have to wait until December 1 before they can go to the gym – both indoor and outdoor. Some NSW gyms are refusing to follow the Covid guidelines entirely, instead telling members they won’t be checking vaccine certificates.Some have even vowed not to reopen at all until December 1.Victoria records 1965 new local cases of coronavirusVictoria has recorded 1965 new local cases of Covid-19 on Saturday as the state again breaks a national record for the highest number of daily infections.The Department of Health also confirmed five Victorians died from the virus in the past 24 hours.More than 84 per cent of the state’s population is now single-dose vaccinated and 56.6 per cent are fully-dosed.Saturday’s case total is a national high and comes just a day after Victoria broke that record on Friday with 1838 cases.Mildura in northwest Victoria last night entered a snap seven-day lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday.Aussies get the travel bugCovid is about to release a travel bug — and it’s going to make everyone much happier.Travel agents say they are being inundated by people wanting to be reunited with family members, as well as take a break from lockdowns. MTA travel agent Rebecca McCarthy said inquiries were overwhelmingly Sydneysiders hoping to be reunited with family in the UK, the US and Canada — or bringing family back to Australia for Christmas after years apart. “There is a lot of emotion and hopes surrounding these dates for those wanting to reconnect and see family,” she said.“Overall, the feeling is positive and the release of the airfares has started the travel conversation again, and allowed people to dream again.” Ms McCarthy said holiday-makers wanted Fiji or Hawaii.“We all know that the rest of the world is travelling; international cruising has resumed, European tours are running, the skies are full of planes, hotels are open, and people are moving about — personally, I can’t wait to get back out there,” she said. “It’s changing every day and holiday-makers are still nervous, but when you’re talking about seeing family you haven’t seen for so long, people are more likely to want to quarantine and do what they have to do to get there. “It is common to hear in planning stages that a trip to Fiji will happen before they get back to Noosa. Each day brings us a little closer to getting back out there.” Luxury Escapes founder Adam Schwab said NSW sales had increased 464 per cent since the start of August and sales growth in NSW to international destinations jumped an incredible 1148 per cent from August 1 to October 2. “Our bookings skyrocketed in September and have kept increasing ever since, with huge demand for offshore locations like Thailand and Bali as well as continued strong interest in iconic Australian destinations like the Northern Territory and North Queensland,” he said. Trip A Deal co-CEO and co-founder Richard Johnston said Australians loved to travel and the pandemic had not changed that.“We’ve seen a massive uptick in travel confidence for holidays in 2022 and 2023,” he said.“Fiji and New Zealand have been selling consistently for a while now, but there’s now a huge interest in trips further afield like cruises in Antarctica and the Mediterranean and rail tours in Scandinavia. “It just shows people are really itching to get back out there. It’s also a buyer’s market right now. The prices are great and the destinations are waiting to welcome us back with open arms. Once the floodgates open, there’ll be no stopping us.” According to Booking.com’s Back To Travel report, 61 per cent of Aussies say travel is more important to them now than it was before the pandemic. The website’s most recent search data has revealed the pressure is on Queensland to open its borders, with the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Cairns, Noosa Heads, Airlie Beach, Hervey Bay and Mooloolaba taking up most of the site’s top 10 searches. Internationally, it is London and Bali. “Our data shows our exploratory appetite and desire to get back to travel as soon as possible remains strong and we’re expecting a very busy travel period over Christmas and New Year,” the website’s Melissa Ellison said. According to Flight Centre, people from NSW were mostly booking domestic holidays, with the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Melbourne the top three dream destinations. “London is back in the top 10, alongside the domestic hot spots,” a spokesman said.Nina Coronna and her husband Vito have booked tickets to London in May to see daughter Livia and grandchildren Gabriel, 6, and Alessia, 4. When they get there, they won’t have seen each other for three years. It’s one of the many reasons they’ve decided to stay until September. “We just need to go see them, by hook or by crook,” Mrs Coronna said.“That’s why I was first in line to get the jab back in June.“I know there are people much worse off, but they were locked down for a year, they’ve done the hard yards well before us.“That’s stressful while working and having young children, you need your family around, and that’s hard to watch as a parent.“We just can’t wait to be with them and treasure that time together.”Long Jetty’s Ally Casey-Greville from Travel Managers said in the last week, the floodgates had opened for Aussies wanting a holiday. “I’ve been helping people repatriate and get home, but people are also very keen to book leisure and I’ve had an influx of inquiries since the announcement about travel last Friday,” she said. One of her clients is Tumbi Umbi’s Christine Hale. She and a friend will do five European cruises back-to-back, travelling everywhere from Greece to Portugal, Malta, Croatia, Hungary, Prague, Norway, and back again. Before that she’s booked Norfolk Island as well as Uluru and Perth, coming home by train.“I’m 71, and I know my travelling days are numbered and Covid just made that stand out even more,” said Ms Hale, who has covered 48 per cent of the world in the seven decades. Got a news tip? Email weekendtele@news.com.auNAT – Stay Informed – Social Media
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