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SYDNEY: More Australian states and territories are reimposing travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus due to new outbreaks in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.
The Australian Capital Territory has excluded non-residents who have been to Sydney’s North Beaches, where the outbreaks are most concentrated, the Sydney metropolitan area and other smaller hubs, unless they have an exemption.
The island state of Tasmania has banned anyone directly related to the latest Victorian cases, listing the exposure sites where confirmed cases are known to have been.
The move followed Tasmania’s declaration of Greater Sydney and the Wollongong area south of Sydney as medium risk areas, requiring travelers to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival, while those on the beaches of Sydney. north of Sydney are prohibited from entering.
Shoppers wear masks as they walk through a mall in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, January 3, 2021 (AP Photo / Mark Baker).
Victoria reported three new cases of community transmission on Sunday (January 3), up from 10 on Saturday. In total, there have been 21 locally acquired Victorian cases in recent days, all related to the outbreak in New South Wales.
The Victoria border is now closed to all travelers from New South Wales.
READ: Australia’s New South Wales under fire from slow COVID-19 response
On Sunday, New South Wales registered eight new local cases. There are 161 active cases in the state, most of them on Sydney’s North Beaches, and 13 from a liquor store that are not connected to the beach cluster.
A security guard takes a customer’s temperature in a shopping area in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, January 3, 2021 (AP Photo / Mark Baker).
News that the state is fighting two separate outbreaks in Sydney comes on the first day of mandatory mask restrictions in the greater Sydney area, and enforcement will begin at midnight Sunday.
The masks will be mandatory in shopping centers, on public transport, in places of worship, hairdressing and beauty shops and entertainment venues such as cinemas. All hospitality staff must also wear one.
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