NSW has reached an important milestone in its fight to contain the spread of the virus. On February 16, for the first time since May 2020, the state recorded zero local cases and zero cases in hotel quarantine within a 24-hour reporting period, between February 14 and 15. There are also currently no infected patients in ICU anywhere in NSW.
Known playfully as ‘double doughnut’ days, so named for the circular pastries that share an uncanny resemblance to the two ‘0’ that appear on the health service daily report, supermarkets across Melbourne sold out of doughnuts overnight when Victoria achieved its first double doughnut result on October 26 of 2020.
While NSW has not been subject to a harsh second lockdown like Melbourne endured, there has been a low but persistent rate of cases in hotel quarantine and two concerning surges in community cases in the state since the end of the national lockdown in May last year. Most recently, the so-called Avalon cluster led to social restrictions and border closures over the Christmas and New Year period, derailing the holiday plans of many NSW residents.
However, thanks to the efforts of the state’s contact tracers and the swift introduction of health restrictions, NSW authorities have effectively contained the virus. The state has now recorded 33 consecutive days of zero locally acquired cases.