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A sign at Central Station notes the implementation of new public health regulations in Sydney, Australia, Jun 23, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Loren Elliott) - 

New South Wales reported 415 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Sunday (Aug 15), down from the previous day's record 466, as Australia's most populous state entered a snap lockdown to control the spread of the Delta variant in regional towns.

Concerned about growing infections in rural areas as recent sewage tests detected the virus in several regional towns, officials on Saturday tightened restrictions and ordered a snap seven-day lockdown across the state.

"Western New South Wales remains a concern, especially in relation to our vulnerable indigenous communities," state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

On Sunday, officials said four more people had died, taking the number of deaths in the latest outbreak in the state to 46. Of the new positive cases, at least 66 are people who spent time in the community while infectious, Berejiklian said//CNA