A police officer is checking for permits to enter Victoria at a border checkpoint in Mallacoota, Australia, on 31 December 2020.
Photographer: Diego Fedele / Getty Images
Photographer: Diego Fedele / Getty Images
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Health officials warn Australians to stay alert even though signs indicate coronavirus groups in the nation’s two most populous states are under control.
On Sunday, New South Wales said it detected it eight cases of local transmission in the last 24 hours, compared with seven the day before. The outbreak in the state originated from a cluster originally from the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, which spread to other areas of the city and has now infected more than 150 people.
Victoria’s neighboring state detected three new cases in the past 24 hours, health officials said Sunday. The count is reduced from the 10 new cases registered the day before.
Australian health authorities have been competing to get past the clusters that have disrupted the maximum summer holiday period. The nation has succeeded it largely suppresses community transmissions through rigorous testing and contact tracing, by restricting international arrivals and isolating all travelers returning from abroad in quarantine hotels for 14 days.
The Sydney outbreak had spurred the government of New South Wales tighten restrictions on social distancing. Starting Monday, individuals in Australia’s largest city who do not wear masks in covered venues such as shops, churches and public transport will be fined $ 200 ($ 154).
More than 18,900 people were tested in New South Wales on Saturday. First in office John Barilaro on Sunday urged an increase to keep the state’s record of success in restricting outbreaks.
Victoria virus response commander Jeroen Weimar also urged residents of his state to maintain test levels, especially if they had returned from New South Wales after the shared border was closed on Saturday to try to contain clusters.
“People need to stay alert and aware that this is not over yet,” Weimar said.