Australia's first case of South African virus variant detected in Queensland – as it happened
More contagious variant identified in returned traveller; three shops in Sydney CBD and two supermarkets in eastern suburbs visited by people who tested positive. This blog is now closed
Queensland detects case of South African variantNSW records three new coronavirus casesSydney New Year's Eve restrictions explainerCovid hotspots NSWAustralia border restrictionsFollow our global coronavirus live blog7.27am GMT
And with that, we'll wrap up the blog. Here's a summary of everything that happened today:
7.09am GMT
Fairfield City has taken the decision to cancel New Year's Eve celebrations, due both to the pandemic and the weather.
Mayor Frank Carbone says in a statement he knows people will be disappointed by the decision, but it is the right decision.
Council has been closely monitoring the escalating Covid situation in Sydney. The decision was made due to the increasing number of unlinked cases announced in the last few days outside of the northern beaches, which potentially means the virus has not been contained.
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