SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday reported its lowest rise in new COVID-19 cases in five days, fuelling optimism that the spread of the virus from a fresh outbreak in Sydney has eased. NSW reported eight new local COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours compared with 15 a day earlier. A coronavirus cluster, detected in Sydney’s northern beaches areas last week, has now grown to 90 cases as authorities battled to contain the flare-up in Australia’s largest city just days before Christmas. Authorities have placed the affected suburbs in lockdown until Wednesday. They will announce then if restrictions will be relaxed or tightened.