Australia rushes to track down COVID-19 source after small cluster …

SYDNEY, December 17 (Reuters) – Australia tried to track down the source of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday after a small cluster was discovered in Sydney’s largest city, with authorities urging residents to get tested if they had flu-like symptoms.

Two new cases of the novel coronavirus were found in Sydney’s northern coastal cities, a day after the city registered three cases, ending a nearly two-week streak of zero cases.

“We really want to get on top of this, we don’t want this to worry us in the run-up to the last few days before Christmas, and I only urge the public to remain as vigilant as ever,” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

Australia has cautiously opened its internal borders and relaxed social distance restrictions in recent weeks, after no local cases were reported in nearly all states and territories.

Australia has reported just over 28,000 coronavirus cases and 908 deaths since the start of the pandemic. It is estimated that there are just over 50 active cases in the country, most of which have returned to quarantine abroad. (Reported by Renju Jose; edited by Richard Pullin)

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