Sydney sees worst pandemic day of 2021 two weeks into lockdown

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks through the city centre during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia

* NSW logs biggest daily rise in cases this year * Officials urge residents to remain home * PM says most populous state on ‘shifting sands’ Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of Covid-19 this year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant. The spike in cases after two weeks of a hard lockdown in Sydney, Australia's largest city, raised the prospect of a further extension in restrictions, with officials blaming illegal family visits for a continuing rise in infections. NSW reported 38 new local cases, up from 27 a day earlier, with 11 of those having spent time in the community while infectious.