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MELBOURNE: Sydney residents were urged not to go to stores for Boxing Day deals, while those in some North Beach suburbs prepared to re-enter a strict lockdown for three days starting Sunday (December 27) as the city seeks to end a coronavirus. outbreak.
The state of New South Wales has recorded nine new coronavirus cases, eight of them directly related to the North Beaches outbreak, which now numbers 116 confirmed cases. Lockdown measures for some suburbs were first imposed on December 19, but were slightly relaxed for the Christmas holidays.
“Our strategy is to make sure we nip this in the bud as soon as we can,” State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said at a televised press conference.
“And in the next few days we will let the community know what New Years Eve will be like and what January will be like for North Beaches and the rest of Sydney.
She encouraged Sydney residents to switch to online shopping for Boxing Day purchases.
READ: Australia steps up testing to curb COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney
Australia’s National Retailers Association this week forecast a record squandering of AU $ 2.75 billion ($ 2.1 billion) on Boxing Day, 5% more than last year. Online shopping is expected to increase 42 percent to AUS $ 930 million.
Victoria, which saw its 57th consecutive day on Saturday with no new coronavirus infections and no related deaths, is expected to account for about a quarter of projected spending.
Residents of Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, which suffered a harsh 111-day lockdown earlier this year, have embraced greater freedom of movement.
On Saturday, a crowd of 30,000 people flocked to the city’s cricket grounds for the Boxing Day Test for the first time in nearly 300 days, though attendance was limited to a third of normal levels.
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