Flights canceled, holidays in disarray as Sydney battles latest COVID-19 outbreak
21 December, 2020
Australia's most populous state on Monday reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in three days, stoking cautious optimism that authorities have contained an outbreak in Sydney's northern beachside suburbs.
New South Wales (NSW) said 15 persons had tested positive for COVID-19 previously 24 hours, down on the 36 infections detected a day earlier and bringing the full total cases in the northern beaches outbreak to 83.
NSW Premier Gladys Brejiklian said it was too early to state a larger outbreak have been averted as northeastern suburbs entered the 3rd day of a five-day lockdown in the leadup to Christmas.
"I'm pleased with what we've seen overnight, but again, it's volatile," Brejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
The government would provide an update by Wednesday on "what Christmas and another few days appear to be" with regards to further containment measures beyond those already imposed on the northeastern suburbs, she added.
More than 80 spots including cafes, gyms, casinos and supermarkets across Sydney were discovered as having been visited by people with confirmed cases. Authorities urged anyone who attended the venues to immediately get tested and self-isolate.
TRAVEL CHAOS
NSW on Friday ordered greater than a 250,000 persons in Sydney's northern beaches area into a lockdown following the cluster of cases emerged, centered on two dining and entertainment venues in the seaside suburb of Avalon.
Those restrictions are set to be reviewed on Wednesday, though other states and territories moved quickly to close borders to all or any of Sydney's 5 million residents, throwing Christmas travel plans into disarray.
A large number of domestic flights because of leave Sydney were canceled on Monday.
"Numerous flights will be canceled ... we'll be contacting customers directly impacted by any flight changes," Qantas Airways Ltd said in an emailed statement.
With travel routes upended, Australian states and territories warned their own residents to leave NSW and return quickly if they wished to avoid mandatory quarantine.
Australian police and military personnel have already been deployed at many state borders to enforce the new rules, and lawmakers warned persons to expect long delays across state lines.
Desperate to contain the spread, NSW has opened dozens of new testing sites, a few of which are running 24 hours per day. NSW health authorities said more than 38,000 tests have been conducted during the past 24 hours, a fresh record.
The foundation of the infection is unknown although Brejiklian said tests showed any risk of strain of COVID-19 within Sydney's northeast was almost identical to that found in an unnamed airline worker from america who arrived in Sydney on Dec 1.
Australia has largely avoided high coronavirus numbers weighed against other developed nations, however the new cluster has sparked fears of a wider outbreak. The united states has recorded just under 28,200 cases and 908 deaths because the pandemic began.
Sydney's outbreak has forced the abandonment of the annual Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race for the very first time in 76 years, and other cities are on standby to host the cricket test between Australia and India scheduled to begin at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Jan 7.
Source: japantoday.com
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