No singing in Sydney as Covid-19 cases rise

Restrictions tightened as Australian city reports 30 more cases

Residents of the northern beaches queue up for Covid-19 tests at a roadside testing centre in Sydney on December 20, 2020. AFP

Dancing, singing and chanting were banned across Sydney in a fresh round of restrictions introduced on Sunday as Australian authorities raced to control a growing coronavirus outbreak in the city.

As hundreds of thousands of people on Sydney's northern beaches awoke to the first day of a snap lockdown, authorities announced another 30 coronavirus cases had been detected in the area.

That brings the Covid-19 cluster in Australia's most populous city to 68 cases since it emerged on Thursday, causing alarm among health officials, who issued stay-at-home orders for several beachside suburbs.

New South Wales state – which incorporates Sydney – on Sunday announced bans on dancing, singing and chanting at indoor venues across the city except at small weddings and religious services.

"It is the season when we all love to be singing," state health minister Brad Hazzard said.

"But for the moment, it is probably one of the most dangerous exercises you can do, dancing and singing."

Sydney restaurants, bars and cafes will be forced to limit patron numbers to 300 people, while caps have also been placed on visits to homes.

Mask-wearing is being encouraged but has not been made compulsory.

About a quarter of a million people in Sydney's northern beach suburbs where the outbreak has occurred have been put into a strict lockdown until Christmas Eve. Officials have promised to review the rules on Wednesday in the hope some restrictions can be lifted before Christmas Day.

The latest outbreak has thrown Christmas plans into disarray, as many Australians who hoped to reunite with family after long separations were forced to cancel travel after new domestic border closures.

On Sunday, Victoria and South Australia became the latest states to announce Sydney residents would be subject to mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days on entry.

The island state of Tasmania took a similar step on Saturday, while Western Australia state imposed a hard border closure.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said the NSW-Victoria border closure was to protect the state's streak of 51 days of no new local coronavirus cases.

"There could be many more cases, not just in the northern beaches but in other parts of Sydney," Mr Andrews said.

The outbreak in Sydney forced the cancellation of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race for the first time in 76 years. Australian cricket authorities are considering swapping the third and fourth Tests against India, to be played in Sydney and Brisbane next month, because of state border closures.

The origin of the outbreak remains unknown, with genome testing suggesting the virus is a US strain.

Australia has largely been successful in containing the virus, taking an aggressive approach centred on imposing early and often far-reaching restrictions in response to new outbreaks.

The country has recorded just over 28,100 Covid-19 cases and 908 deaths in a population of about 25 million.

Coronavirus around the world

An Indian cake artist gives the finishing touch to the Coronavirus COVID19, which is made out of sugar bricks, sugar paste, and cakes made in 46th annual Cake Exhibition prior Christmas in Bangalore, India. The annual cake exhibition is open for public and runs from 18 to 01 January 2021. EPA

Snow falls during a Nor'easter storm amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. REUTERS

Snow falls during a Nor'easter storm amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, New York, U.S. REUTERS

Physician Joyce Limurti, 40, flexes her bicep as she is given the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center in Glendale, California, U.S. REUTERS

A woman holds a nasal swab after collecting her own test sample at a Curative Inc. Covid-19 testing site in downtown Riverside, California, U.S. Greater Los Angeles is emerging as America's hardest hit metropolitan area as Covid-19 sweeps across California like never before. Bloomberg

Snow falls during a Nor'easter storm amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, New York, U.S. REUTERS

A person plays with a dog in the snow that fell during a Nor'easter storm amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. REUTERS

A couple is sitting on the steps of the Opera Bastille during a curfew, in Paris. France is implementing strict anti-virus measures, including a lockdown since October that was only partially lifted on Tuesday and now includes a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. All restaurants and bars, tourist sites and many other public places remain closed. AP Photo

People drink in a bar located under the arches of a bridge, downtown Lausanne Switzerland, which is failing to control the Covid-19 epidemic with the highest contamination rates in Europe, is awaiting new lockdowns decisions after a meeting of Swiss government. AFP

A woman with a baby stroller wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, walks an empty Old Town in Vilnius, Lithuania. Lithuania tightens lockdown, to close shops, restrict movement as of Wednesday. The majority of shops, with the exception of those selling food, closed in Lithuania as of Wednesday as the country is tightening the existing lockdown. AP Photo

A health worker dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) takes an oral swab sample from a passenger in a Covid-19 screening area at Debrecen International Airport in Debrecen, Hungary. Hungarians may take part in the clinical trial of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, according to the top health official of the eastern European Union member state. Bloomberg

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus shop for decorative items ahead of Christmas in Hyderabad, India. Christians make up about 2 percent of India's 1 billion-plus population. AP Photo

A man wearing a facemask as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus, travels on a passenger bus in Karachi. AFP

People wear masks as they walk in a shopping district, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Beijing, China. REUTERS

People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus use a pedestrian crosswalk at the Ginza shopping street in Tokyo.AP Photo

A Sri Lanka police officer explains a court order against protests to members of the Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath, a Muslim religious organization near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath organized what it called an 'attention protest' against the current cremation of Muslim Covid-19 victims, claiming that Islam does not allow it. However, the government and health authorities continue to cremate such bodies as they are still not sure of the consequences of burying infected bodies claiming the high humidity of the island's soil. EPA