Sydney, January 1: New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia on Monday reported zero local COVID-19 cases for the first time in almost three weeks, as per reports. With the population of over 8 Billion New South Wales is the largest state in the island nation. The comes after the state capital, Sydney witnessed multiple outbreaks in the recent weeks, following which the local administration urged the residents to get their COVID-19 tests done. COVID-19 Vaccination: Majority of Australians Willing to Pay for Early Coronavirus Vaccine, Survey Reveal.

As per a report by Reuters, New South Wales daily testing numbers have dropped to around 20,000 in the last two days from a peak of about 70,000 recorded on Christmas Day, December 25. The Sydney administration has also imposed mandatory masks in indoor spaces and on public transport from Monday. New UK COVID-19 Strain Detected in Australia, Italy.

“The numbers are far too low. If we’re going to succeed in staying ahead of the COVID pandemic, testing is crucial in large numbers so we can be confident of the data when we’re making decisions,” state's Acting Premier John Barilaro told reporters.

The local administration at the New South Wales had rejected calls for mandatory face masks since the COVID-19 outbreak started, however following the surge in cases recorded in Sydney over the last few weeks, the authority has finally made face masks compulsory.

New South Wales have been reportedly isolated from the rest of Australia by state border closures or 14- day mandatory quarantine rules for interstate arrivals from the nation's largest state.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2021 08:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).