Authorities in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) have put about a quarter of a million people in Sydney’s northern beach suburbs into a strict lockdown and restricted gatherings across the rest of the city in a bid to contain a growing coronavirus outbreak.
NSW, which incorporates Sydney, recorded 30 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking a cluster that emerged in Sydney’s northern beaches area to 70, with some cases still under investigation.
Until Wednesday, Australia had gone more than two weeks without any local transmission and had lifted most restrictions before Christmas. The outbreak in Australia’s most populous state prompted states and territories to reimpose border restrictions, sending holiday travel plans for thousands into chaos.