No new Covid-19 cases in Sydney despite cluster fears

Sydney, Jan 4 : For the first time since December 15, 2020, Sydney did not report a single new coronavirus case on Monday despite fears of a developing infection cluster in the western suburbs of Australia’s biggest city.
Health officials in New South Wales (NSW) state, of which Sydney is the capital, noted that overnight two cases were linked to the cluster detected at a liquor store in the suburb of Berala, Xinhua news agency reported.
But since it was recorded outside the official reporting period on Monday, the cases will be included in Tuesday’s tally.
Anyone who visited the liquor store or a nearby supermarket during several periods between December 22 and December 31, 2020, were considered close contacts and told to get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless if they received a negative result.
“That is a long time since that period, but what we want to do is pick up any people that may have been transmitted to then, to assist us in blocking any further chains of transmission,” NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
Being the peak festive season in Australia, thousands of people were expected to self-isolate, in addition to thousands more already considered close contacts since the most recent outbreak began.