Sydney on alert as second cluster of Covid-19 cases emerges

The new cluster in Croydon, a suburb in Sydney’s inner-west, involves six infections in an extended family group, Berejiklian said. With cases expected to grow in coming days, household gatherings across Greater Sydney to celebrate the New Year will be limited to 5 visitors. The maximum size of outdoor gatherings will be reduced to 30 from 50.

“We don’t want New Year’s Eve to be the cause of a super-spreader,” she said. “Our preferred advice is that people just stay home.”

The outbreak is a blow to Australia, which had largely suppressed community transmission through rigorous testing and contact tracing, and by shuttering the international border — with all returned overseas travelers made to isolate for 14 days in quarantine hotels. Authorities are trying to pinpoint the source of the two clusters.