Three removalists from the epicentre of Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak - and currently under strict lockdown restrictions - have allegedly been caught nearly 300km away in regional NSW.
NSW Police will allege the trio had also been told they were COVID-positive before travelling from metropolitan Sydney to Molong, in the state’s central west.
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Watch the video above to see Gladys Berejiklian’s latest COVID announcement
Regional NSW areas are now being encouraged to be on high alert after the men travelled from West Hoxton to Figtree.
They are also believed to have stopped in regional areas including South Bowenfels and Orange on the way to Molong.
Officers were tipped off and intercepted the trio at a residence in Speedy Street, Molong.
The men were escorted by police to Greater Sydney and are now being instructed to isolate for 14 days.
NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said he was troubled by this significant breach of the Public Health Orders.
“This thoughtless act has now placed our regional communities in NSW at the greatest risk so far with this pandemic,” Elliott said.
“We know that the delta variant is highly transmissible, and it is unfathomable to think that, with all the public information and health warnings, people could so blatantly ignore the health orders.”
Separately, a 25-year-old man who worked in an aged care facility in south-western Sydney and had been informed that he had tested positive to COVID-19 was issued a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) after police discovered he had left his Mr Druitt home and travelled by car to Blacktown to buy dumbbell weights.
It marks another contentious trip from removalists after a crew of three NSW removalists, two of whom have since tested positive, travelled to Melbourne and did jobs at a Craigieburn home and the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong on July 8.
The trip sparked the creation of a cluster that has ultimately played a significant role in Victoria’s fifth lockdown being implemented.
New Sydney restrictions
New COVID-19 restrictions have been announced for Sydney as authorities scramble to gain control over the current coronavirus outbreak.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday reported another 111 new local COVID-19 cases and the third death of the outbreak.
From 11.59pm on Saturday, non-essential retail will be forced to close, except for takeaway and home delivery.
Supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies, health stores, petrol stations, car hire, banks and financial institutions, hardware stores, agriculture and rural supplies, pet supplies, post offices and newsagents and office supply stores will be allowed to remain open.
Residents of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool council areas cannot leave their local government area for work except for emergency services and healthcare workers.
Where those workers do need to leave their LGA for work, they are required to be tested every three days, even if they do not have symptoms.
Masks are being made mandatory in all outdoor work settings, in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips and in any outdoor queues such as takeaway food.
Residents will need to carry masks when leaving home and carpooling is banned.
From Monday, all construction will be paused across Greater Sydney, including non-urgent maintenance, cleaning services and repair work until at least July 30.
Employers must also allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so.
The decision to tighten restrictions was made after the NSW crisis cabinet met on Friday.
“It is not good enough for us to tread water which is what we’re doing now,” Berejiklian said on Saturday.
“We have certainly prevented thousands and thousands of cases but we haven’t managed to quash the curve and that is why the New South Wales government is taking further action from today.
“We want to make sure we have a no-regrets policy.
“We want to get out of this lockdown as soon as we can.
“We want individuals, families and businesses to bounce back as soon as we can, and that’s why we’ve taken some very difficult decisions.”
The new restrictions will remain in place until at least July 30.