MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian officials closed Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach on Saturday after thousands of people flocked there in recent days, defying social distancing orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, amid an unusually warm autumn spell.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the crowds on the country's most famous strip of sand were"unacceptable" as he reported the number of infections across Australia had risen sharply. Hunt confirmed 874 cases, but Australian media later reported the tally exceeded 1,000 when updates from several states were taken into account. The death toll was seven, unchanged from a day earlier.
"We will be closing down the type of iconic activities that unfortunately we've come ... to love and adore about our lifestyle." Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced stricter rules on socialising on Friday, requiring indoor venues such as bars and restaurants to maintain a density of no more than one person per four square metres of floor space. The overall limits of 100 people gathered indoors and 500 outdoors remained in force.
The Australian response to the coronavirus pandemic, while unprecedented, has been less severe than in parts of Europe and North America where higher rates of infection have led to more sweeping public lock downs.
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