In Australia it was a day for apologies.

Firstly, ACT Health apologised for including the lllawarra-Shoalhaven region in their list of areas to avoid when announcing changes to coronavirus travel advice on Sunday night. It prompted a clear-out of sorts as Canberrans scrambled to get home before midnight.

And while a version of calm was restored there was still an avalanche of calls to the ACT's COVID hotline. That in turn prompted another apology, this time from Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith: "My apologies to everyone who's waiting and thank you for your patience".

Talkback callers to ABC radio reported being in a queue of more than 3000 calls to the line before 9am, so oodles of patience was needed.

And that will be the case again tomorrow as exactly how Christmas will pan out for millions won't be revealed until Wednesday morning, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said today.

There were 15 new cases in the state on Monday, making it a total of 83 cases in total linked to the cluster on the northern beaches area of Sydney.

Residents of greater Sydney have been locked out of most other states across the country because of that cluster.

"All I'm saying to colleagues around the country is please think about the heartbreak," Ms Berejiklian said.

It held no sway in north of the border as just hours later Queensland's Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said her state's border won't reopen to greater Sydney until at least January 8, when a "re-evaluation" will take place.

And if that wasn't clear Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the physical barricades along her state lines will be back in place from 6am Tuesday.

Another apology came today from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews after the report into the state's bungled quarantine system was handed down.

The state's second wave of coronavirus resulted in more than 18,000 new infections and 800 deaths. It was traced back to security guards working at hotels in May and June.

Mr Andrews apologised to Victorians for the program's failures, singling out those who had lost a loved one as a result of the second wave: "There will be people missing from the Christmas dinner table on Friday and I am deeply sorry and saddened by that.

"We have learnt those lessons. We have made those changes. We will carefully consider all the recommendations that Judge Jennifer Coate has made."

The report could not identify a single person responsible for the fatal decision to use private security guards in the program.

But, the report read, neither the Premier, nor his ministers, played any active role in, or oversight of the decision about how enforcement of quarantine would be achieved.

"Such a finding is likely to shock the public."

Another shock could be coming by way of a "new strain" of COVID-19, now arrived in Australia, authorities say.

The new strain, dubbed B. 1. 1. 7, is responsible for more than 60 per cent of COVID-19 infections in London. The UK's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said the strain was "beating all the others in terms of transmission". Learn more about it here.

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