Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open lower on Monday after a resurgence in COVID-19 infections in Sydney led to states and territories imposing travel restrictions on residents of the city, stoking fears of a delayed economic recovery.
The states of Victoria and Queensland, and the Northern Territory, banned people arriving from Sydney as of Monday. local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell about 0.2%, a 79.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark closed 1.2% lower on Friday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose marginally by 2122 GMT.