Sydney has recorded another major increase in local COVID-19 cases, the biggest in the city since the start of the outbreak last month.
Thirty-eight new cases were confirmed on Thursday out of more than 39,000 tests.
Of those, 26 have been linked to known cases or clusters and 12 remain under investigation.
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Eleven of the new cases were out and about in the community while infectious.
Seventeen others were in quarantine for their full infectious period, while nine were in quarantine for part of their infectious period.
The new cases come after Premier Gladys Berejiklian said authorities were concerned about the spread of the virus in three Sydney local government areas - Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown.
Of the new cases, 21 were recorded in southwest Sydney.
Berejiklian said the current situation in Sydney was “critical” and the number of COVID cases being detected is “too high”.
“We need to get those numbers down,” she said on Thursday.
“I want to say in the most, strongest possible terms, please avoid contact with other households.
“Please avoid visiting family and friends because you are not allowed to.”
Sydney spreaders
Over the last few days, COVID has been spreading after people have been visiting extended family and friends, the premier added.
“The saddest message out of all of that is that people with the virus are passing it on to those they love the most,” Berejiklian said.
“The two strongest messages we need to get across today is firstly: please stop visiting people indoors, outside your family, your household.
“Your immediate family means those you live with. It doesn’t mean extended family or friends. We need to be stern about this.
“Secondly, please make sure if you have the mildest of symptoms, you are not going out of your house to a workplace or to visit a loved one who needs care or for any other reason.
“If you have the mildest of symptoms, the only reason you should be leaving your home is to get a COVID test.”
Since the start of the current outbreak of the virus on June 16, there have been 395 COVID cases in Sydney.