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SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) – The cluster of Covid-19 infections that has shut down Sydney’s northern beaches has risen to 122 cases, health officials said on Sunday (December 27).
Seven new local cases were reported overnight, and six were linked to the group, New South Wales State Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.
The outbreak is a blow to Australia, which had largely suppressed community transmission through rigorous testing and contact tracing, and by closing the international border, and all returning foreign travelers were isolated for 14 days in quarantine hotels.
The cluster source is still under investigation.
Some 250,000 people on the northern beaches have been told to stay in their homes, except for medical care and essential supplies, and not to allow visitors until at least December 30.
Sydney’s five million residents have been banned from traveling to other Australian states and territories due to the cluster, disrupting travel plans during the peak summer holiday season.
Australia’s largest city is waiting for news on whether any public New Year’s Eve celebrations will be allowed.
“I appreciate that the levels of frustration are increasing as we approach New Year’s Eve and the days we stay at home increase,” Berejiklian said at a news conference.
“We hope to have some clear information for everyone tomorrow, or the latest the next day, about what New Year’s Eve and the next few weeks will be like.”
The public countdown to New Year’s Day in big cities like Sydney has in the past been an occasion for parties and gatherings at barbecues, city parks or beaches in the southern hemisphere summer.
But the outbreak has caused chaos in many plans, as state authorities focus on measures to quell the resurgence.
Australia has fared better than most developed economies in the pandemic through rapid border closures, lockdowns, widespread testing and social distancing. It has registered just under 28,300 infections, the vast majority in the state of Victoria, and 908 deaths from Covid-19.
Victoria, the second most populous state in Australia, is a neighbor of New South Wales. Its capital Melbourne, the nation’s previous hot spot, was in a severe lockdown for months.
On Sunday, it recorded its 58th consecutive day with no community coronavirus broadcasts and no related deaths.
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