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SYDNEY (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, reported eight new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday (January 3) as new social distancing restrictions and mandatory mask use will be implemented. , while neighboring Victoria had three new cases.
The NSW outbreak began in mid-December in Sydney’s North Beaches area, where a quarter of a million people are in strict lockdown until January 9. Cases associated with the group now number 148.
A smaller group in the west of the city, linked to a different genome sequence, has 13 confirmed cases. But the state’s health director, Dr. Kerry Chant, said authorities are concerned that the recent transmission at a liquor store occurred with a “fleeting” exposure.
“We know that these transmission events have occurred through minimal exposure. We ask the members of the community who bought alcohol or entered that place during that period to be very vigilant, ”Dr. Chant told reporters.
New South Wales will enforce the wearing of masks from midnight in indoor venues such as game rooms, hair salons, nail salons, retail stores, churches and on public transport. People who do not wear masks indoors will be fined A $ 200 (Singapore $ 207).
“I would encourage the community across Greater Sydney to wear masks in accordance with the law, but do it yourself, do it for your family, do it for your community, that’s the main reason,” said State Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
The three Victoria cases on Sunday were linked to the same Melbourne restaurant, although the source of the infection is still under investigation.
Health authorities have identified 220 close contacts and more than 50 exposure sites linked to positive cases.
But, “the important thing is that they are in quarantine when diagnosed so that the risk of further transmission is reduced,” Victoria’s deputy health director, Professor Allen Cheng, said in Melbourne.
Victoria, who now has more than 30 active cases, has made masks mandatory statewide while limiting assemblies and closing her border with New South Wales.
Professor Cheng said there are now 21 cases involving coffee and family gatherings of people linked to Smile Buffalo Thai coffee in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Black Rock.
However, he reiterated that the source is still unknown.
“We are looking at various lines of research,” said Professor Cheng. “We’ve gotten more genomic results … and they’re all transmissions consistent with each other and also linked to the New South Wales group.”
Australian health authorities have rushed to the top of the clumps, disrupting the peak summer vacation period. The nation has largely suppressed community broadcasts through rigorous testing and contact tracing, imposing restrictions on international arrivals and isolating all travelers returning from abroad in quarantined hotels for 14 days.
More than 18,900 people in New South Wales were tested on Saturday. Acting Prime Minister John Barilaro on Sunday urged an increase to maintain the state’s record of success in restricting outbreaks.
Victoria’s virus response commander Jeroen Weimar also urged residents in his state to maintain testing levels, particularly if they had returned from New South Wales after their shared border was closed on Saturday in a bid to contain groups.
“People must remain vigilant and aware that this is not over yet,” Weimar said.
Australia has reported more than 28,450 Covid-19 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began.
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