Five men ADMIT they have Covid and were supposed to be isolating when police found them hanging out at a table together in a Sydney hotspot not even wearing masks
Five men admitted they had Covid-19 and should have been self-isolating after they were caught maskless at a public table together in a Sydney hotspot.
NSW Police said officers approached the men about 11.30am on Monday after spotting them sitting at a table on the footpath on Optimism Street in Leppington in Sydney's south-west.
The men told police they had all tested positive to the virus in rural NSW and were escorted back to Sydney on August 23 to self-isolate for 14 days.
Following inquiries, police issued all five men – aged 23, 25, 26, 31 and 32 – with $5,000 penalty infringement notices for breaches of Covid-19 public health orders.
Five men admitted they had Covid-19 and should have been isolating when approached by police in Leppington in Sydney's south-west - one of the city's hotspots for the virus
The men were escorted home to continue their mandatory isolation.
The fines came just days after a police staffer was allegedly caught selling drugs in Sydney's inner-city while driving a black Mercedes which was registered to an address in the south-west - which is subject to Australia's strictest lockdown.
The car was pulled over in Surry Hills, next to the CBD, about 8.45pm on Saturday during a routine patrol after it was found to be registered 15km away.
Officers spoke to the 41-year-old driver - who is a civilian employee attached to a specialist command of NSW Police - before a search of his vehicle allegedly turned up illicit drugs.
The driver was charged with possessing drugs and proscribed restricted substances, and fined for breaching lockdown for being more than 5km from his home.
He was given a court attendance notice to appear on October 14 and NSW Police said his employment status will be reviewed.
Police issued all five men – aged 23, 25, 26, 31 and 32 – with $5,000 penalty infringement notices for breaches of Covid-19 public health order (file image)
Police have been out in force recently checking drivers are adhering to travel restrictions (pictured: police check vehicles in Newtown on July 31)
An extra 1,400 traffic and highway patrol officers were dispatched across NSW earlier this month to enforce lockdown restrictions - which include a 5km travel limit in Sydney.
When announcing the crackdown on August 14, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said over the next three weeks police would ramp up enforcement of the public health orders.
Cops on Saturday pulled over a man's black Mercedes and allegedly found illicit drugs (stock image)
Fines were increased from $1,000 to $5,000 on the spot for a breach of quarantine, along with a $5,000 on-the-spot fine for lying about a permit or to a contact tracer.
A $3,000 fine was brought in for breaching the two person exercise rule in any way and those going into regional NSW without a valid reason would be slapped with a $3,000 on the spot fine.
The 10km exercise and shopping limit was also decreased to 5km across Sydney as an additional 500 defence force troops were brought in to help.
'The fines are some of the biggest I have seen. The evidence from police on the ground that the is that people have been rorting the regional travel rules. So we see the permit system strengthened around that,' Mr Fuller said.
He added travel limits, the singles bubble, exercise and recreation were particular areas where people were flouting the rules and where police would focus efforts.
Police have issued more than 12,600 penalty infringement notices since the crackdown began, including 327 in the last week for people flouting curfew rules in the 12 LGAs of concern.