Flights cancelled, holidays in disarray as Sydney battles pre-Christmas COVID-19 outbreak

Qantas Airways Ltd said several customers had cancelled their bookings between Sydney and Melbourne - one of the busiest routes in the world before the pandemic - and on a number of other domestic routes from Monday.

SYDNEY: Dozens of domestic flights due to leave Sydney were cancelled on Monday and authorities issued more health alerts across the city, as Australia battled to contain a fresh COVID-19 outbreak in its largest city four days before Christmas.

More than 50 locations including cafes, gyms, casinos and supermarkets across Sydney have been infected so far and authorities urged anyone who had visited the venues to immediately get tested and self-isolate.