Australian officials name more than 100 venues as COVID-19 hotspots in Sydney

Australian officials in New South Wales have named more than 100 venues across Sydney as potential COVID-19 hotspots. With this, they have also instructed people who attended these gatherings to self isolate themselves in order to stop the virus from spreading. With Christmas season just around the corner, the holiday plans have been dashed by the border closures outside New South Wales (NSW) with even airlines cancelling several flights leaving the Sydney Airport on December 21 after the midnight deadline. 

Current situation in Australia 

According to reports by ANI, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that she is happy to see the number of new cases decrease. She said, “The threat is there because of the number of venues that have been affected (but) I think to date the policy settings we've had in place, coupled with the community's response, have demonstrated our strategies are working”. The NSW authorities congratulated the majority of Sydneysiders for adhering to the guidelines and following social distancing measures. 

Read: New COVID-19 Strain: Everything About The New Variant Of Coronavirus Spreading Rapidly

"Even if you've had a negative test today you can be positive tomorrow, so it's incredibly important that you remain in isolation”, said NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant. Also, Berejiklian spoke about how authorities were monitoring the "evolving" situation closely before deciding what restrictions should be imposed for the city on December 25. She said, “Obviously the decision would be much easier if it wasn't this time of year. We will try to consider mental health issues, we need to consider what people are going through as part of that decision as well but we also need to consider what it means for eight million citizens across the state”.

Read: COVID-19: Singapore Becomes First Asian Country To Get Pfizer Vaccine Shipment

Also, Australian states have started imposing entry bans on Sydney residents. As per reports, the city has recorded at least 90 cases till now in the outbreak and all are linked to Sydney’s Northern Beaches region. In the wake of the situation, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on December 21 that “2020 is not done with us yet”. Speaking from Canberra, Morrison called the recent events in the country “incredibly frustrating and disappointing” for people across the nation who were looking forward to get-togethers and inter-state travel. 

Read: 'No One Should Worry': COVID-19 Not Evolved Enough To Beat Vaccines, Assure Scientists

Also Read: COVID-19: Surat District Reports 150 New Cases; 3 Deaths

(Image Credits: Unsplash)