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Police minister unloads on 'putrid' rule breakers and issues a warning to Sydneysiders as 'lockdown loopholes' are finally closed

Tougher lockdown restrictions including jacked up fines and travel limits are now in place across Greater Sydney as officials battle to bring the region's spiralling Covid crisis under control. 

From Monday, thousands of NSW police will enforce strict new coronavirus regulations for the locked-down state to ensure compliance with stay at home orders. 

Greater Sydney residents are banned from travelling more than five kilometres from their home without a reasonable, with officers able to impose fines up to $5000 for breaching public health orders. 

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said he is confident the tighter measures will prevent rule-breakers from 'gaming the system'.

'I was putrid about the way people were ignoring health rules because there were so many loopholes,' he told Sunrise.

'I was delighted that over the last week the Commissioner and I pleaded a case and the health orders have been changed.'

NSW Police Minister David Elliott (pictured) said he is confident changes to Sydney's lockdown rules has 'closed' loopholes

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said he is confident changes to Sydney's lockdown rules has 'closed' loopholes 

Mr Elliott had a firm message for people still looking to find loopholes in the tough new restrictions. 

'I would like to think all the loopholes are closed,' he  told Today on Monday. 

' People are smart, they will still try to work their way around them.

'I'm quietly confident now that the community has got the message that we're not mucking around, that you won't be allowed to offer up excuses.' 

But host Alison Langdon claimed residents are still trying to side step public health orders. 

'People are looking for ways a get around the rules,' she said.

'We are seven weeks into it. People are thinking it's another seven or more we still have to face lockdown?'

Mr Elliott admitted the benefits of tighter restrictions would not be felt until October, when stricter rules and high vaccination rates are likely to coincide and bring case numbers down.

'I think what has happened is that after seven weeks people actually have realised that this isn't going away and I think people are taking more personal responsibility,' he said. 

Today host Alison Langdon (pictured) claimed there were still residents seeking to bend the law as the region enters its eight week of lockdown

Today host Alison Langdon claimed there were still residents seeking to bend the law as the region enters its eight week of lockdown 

Some 529 fines were handed out across NSW for breaches of the public health order on Saturday, with 29 people charged. 

They included 31 youths busted gathering on a cliff top in Sydney's eastern suburbs, ten people who attended to a barbeque lunch at Blacktown, and eight people who went to a house party in Newcastle.  

NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Mick Willing said 1400 Highway Patrol officers and 800 ADF personnel will also be put out on the streets when Operation Stay At Home kicks off from Monday. 

'The unprecedented operation will see thousands of police officers from police districts and police area commands across the state working alongside our colleagues from the Australian Defence Force, enforcing the strength public health orders,' he said. 

Asked whether a ring of steel around NSW was needed, Mr Elliott said it was not necessary now that rules have been changed. 

Thousands of police officers will be out in force from Monday under Operation Stay at Home to ensure lockdown compliance across Greater Sydney. Pictured: Officers patrol in Coogee on Sunday

Thousands of police officers will be out in force from Monday under Operation Stay at Home to ensure lockdown compliance across Greater Sydney. Pictured: Officers patrol in Coogee on Sunday 

'This was the view I got from the police - if we had decent lockdown laws, if we had decent ability for compliance well then we wouldn't get a ring of steel, because nobody would be going anywhere,' he said.

'I think that's probably what we saw over the weekend.' 

It comes after NSW recorded 415 new cases and four deaths on Sunday - the second highest daily surge in infection numbers throughout the pandemic - as the outbreak shows no sign of slowing down. 

The death toll for NSW stands at 48 for this outbreak, and 104 for the entire pandemic in the state. There are 62 people in intensive care in hospital, 24 of them requiring ventilation.

The three women and one man who are the latest casualties were all from Sydney's southwest, only one of them was fully vaccinated but had underlying health conditions.

People in Greater Sydney will need a permit to travel to regional NSW and single people will need to register their 'singles buddies'.

In newly-locked down regional areas, people must only leave their residence for an essential reason.

Everyone must carry masks at all times, no visitors are allowed in the home unless for carers' responsibilities or for compassionate reasons, and those in a relationship.

A test and isolate payment of $320 will also start this week for workers 17 and over who have symptoms of COVID-19 and live in government areas of concern. 

With all of NSW now under lockdown rules, all schoolchildren will be learning from home from Monday.

Some 1400 Highway Patrol Officers and 800 ADF troops will be on the streets conducting compliance checks. Pictured: Police conduct compliance checks in Bondi on Sunday after the state recorded 415 new Covid cases

Some 1400 Highway Patrol Officers and 800 ADF troops will be on the streets conducting compliance checks. Pictured: Police conduct compliance checks in Bondi on Sunday after the state recorded 415 new Covid cases

While the NSW Department of Education has confirmed that someone at Blacktown North Public School has tested positive, which will mean the school will be non-operational on Monday.

MLC School in Burwood will be partly closed on Monday after two cases were linked to its senior campus in the city's inner west.

The private girls' school was the fourth school to announce cases as the delta variant continued to spread throughout Sydney and regional NSW.

More than half of the new 415 locally-acquired cases to 8pm on Saturday were from Sydney's west and southwest, with the suburbs of Blacktown, Mount Druitt, Marayong, Merrylands, Auburn and Guildford causing the most concern.

In the state's west 21 new cases were identified. Health officials are worried, especially in relation to vulnerable Indigenous communities.

'We know that the vast majority of our cases in Dubbo and across the western NSW are Aboriginal, and we know also the vast majority of our cases are also children,' Western NSW Local Health District CEO, Scott McLachlan said on Sunday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said while more work is to be done, the case tally is a welcome drop from Saturday's figures when the state recorded 466 new cases.

NSW entered a state-wide lockdown on Saturday night after Sydney's outbreak spilled into regional areas. Pictured: People walk along Bondi Beach on Sunday

NSW entered a state-wide lockdown on Saturday night after Sydney's outbreak spilled into regional areas. Pictured: People walk along Bondi Beach on Sunday 

Deputy Commissioner Willing said 'significant police resources were used to break up a gathering of 31 youths at the Clovelly cliff tops in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Deputy Commissioner Willing said 'significant police resources were used to break up a gathering of 31 youths at the Clovelly cliff tops in Sydney's eastern suburbs

'We can't stress enough that we don't want to go down the path of all these other places overseas where they have literally thousands and thousands and thousands of cases a day,' she said.

'If too many people do the wrong thing, NSW and Australia will follow what has happened .'

Ms Berejiklian meanwhile said five million vaccines had been given out in NSW with half the state's eligible population having now received their first dose.

She also welcomed the 500,000 Pfizer vaccines to be supplied to NSW by the Commonwealth.

More than 20 TrainLink Services have been cancelled for the coming week, leaving essential workers stranded after a fortnight of chaos at the Central Station Staff Testing Hub.

About 260 NSW TrainLink staff are isolating after being advised that a COVID-19 tester at Central Station had tested positive.

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