COVID-safe Christmas Day celebrations have been held across Australia as the NSW government continues to grapple with a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney.No new locally transmitted coronavirus cases were reported in any state but NSW, where the government added another seven infections.More than 100 COVID-19 cases are linked to the cluster on Sydney's northern beaches.While the rest of country enjoyed Christmas gatherings with few restrictions, residents of the Sydney virus hotspot were only allowed to get together in limited numbers.NSW Health also issued a new alert on Friday afternoon flagging that 10 Sydney locations, four buses and a flight to Griffith had been visited by people infected with COVID-19.Authorities are most concerned about anyone who was at Chicago Jones Coffee & Chocolate Maison in Auburn on Sunday and passengers on the 2.10pm Regional Express flight from Sydney to Griffith on Monday.There's also growing concern about a potential cluster in the Sydney CBD centred on the Paragon Hotel near Circular Quay, with Santa photos at the QVB one of the locations flagged in the alert.Premier Gladys Berejikilian warned people to avoid the CBD if they could on Boxing Day, and if not to wear a mask."We'd prefer people did not go to the CBD because then you have people from all over Sydney coming to one location, and it only takes one or two cases for it to then spread everywhere else," Ms Berejiklian said."We know this is not the easiest message to give to those retailers."The NSW government gave northern beaches residents a three-day rules reprieve from lockdown over Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day.Residents north of the Narrabeen Bridge were able to welcome five people from the same area, while those in the south were allowed to have 10 visitors from anywhere.Victorians starved of family time for much of the year were able to host up to 30 visitors over the course of a single day since December 14.The state again recorded zero new locally acquired cases on Christmas Day, for the 56th day in a row.The other states and territories also reported no new locally transmitted cases on Friday, however a second crew member on a superyacht near Cairns tested positive for COVID-19.Queensland's only other cases were in hotel quarantine as it passed 101 days without a locally acquired case.Queenslanders and South Australians were allowed to gather in groups of up to 50 for Christmas, while Tasmanians could gather in double that amount.Western Australia, the ACT and Northern Territory have no visitor caps, but 1.5-metre social distancing was to be maintained in house settings.While many tucked into meals or shared gifts, thousands of Australians spent Christmas in hotel quarantine or isolating at home across the country.

https://www.sheppnews.com.au/national-news/2020/12/26/2430215/aussies-gather-for-covid-safe-christmas

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