Australia's Covid-19 cluster expands further as masks made compulsory

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SYDNEY (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - Australia's most-populous state of New South Wales on Sunday (Jan 3) reported eight new Covid-19 cases as new social distancing restrictions and mandatory mask wearing are set to kick in, while neighbouring Victoria had three new cases.

The New South Wales outbreak started around mid-December in Sydney's Northern Beaches area, where a quarter of a million people are in strict lockdown until Jan 9. Cases associated with the cluster now total 148.

A smaller cluster in the west of the city, linked to a different genome sequence, has 13 confirmed cases. But the state's chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said the authorities are worried as recent transmission at a liquor store occurred with "fleeting" exposure.

"We know these transmission events have happened through very minimal exposure. We are asking members of the community who did purchase alcohol or enter that premises for that period to be very vigilant," Dr Chant told reporters.

New South Wales will enforce mask wearing from midnight in indoor venues such as gaming rooms, hair salons, nail salons, retail shops, churches and on public transport. Individuals found not wearing masks in indoor venues will be fined A$200 (S$207).

"I would encourage the community across Greater Sydney to wear masks in compliance with the law, but do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your community, that's the main reason," said state Health Minister Brad Hazzard.

Victoria's three cases on Sunday were all linked to the same Melbourne restaurant, though the source of the infection is still under investigation.

Health authorities have identified 220 close contacts and more than 50 exposure sites linked to positive cases.

But, "what is important is that they are in quarantine when they are diagnosed so that the risk of onward transmission is reduced", Victoria's deputy chief health officer, Professor Allen Cheng, said in Melbourne.

Victoria, which now has more than 30 active cases, has made masks mandatory across the state while limiting gatherings and shutting its border to New South Wales.

Prof Cheng said there are now 21 cases linked to the cafe and family gatherings of people linked to the Smile Buffalo Thai cafe in the bayside suburb of Black Rock in Melbourne.

However, he reiterated that the source is still unknown.

"We are looking at several lines of investigation," Prof Cheng said. "We have had more genomic results back... and they are all consistent with transmissions between each other and are also linked to the New South Wales cluster."

Australian health authorities have been racing to get on top of the clusters, which have disrupted the peak summer holiday period. The nation has managed to largely suppress community transmissions through rigorous testing and contact tracing, by placing restrictions on international arrivals, and through isolating all travellers returning from overseas in quarantine hotels for 14 days.

More than 18,900 people in New South Wales were tested on Saturday. Acting Premier John Barilaro on Sunday urged for an increase to maintain the state's record of success in restricting outbreaks.

Victoria'' virus response commander, Mr Jeroen Weimar, also urged residents in his state to maintain testing levels, particularly if they had returned from New South Wales after their shared border was closed on Saturday in a bid to contain clusters.

"People need to continue to be alert and aware that this is not over yet," Mr Weimar said.

Australia has reported more than 28,450 Covid-19 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began.

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