Gladys Berejiklian chastises Sydney residents doing ‘wrong thing’ under lockdown

The NSW Premier has urged Sydneysiders not to make the same mistake as people who have caught the virus then spread it to their family and friends.

The NSW Premier has chastised locked-down Sydneysiders who do the “wrong thing” and risk spreading the coronavirus further.

Gladys Berejiklian said she had been told of the “enormous guilt” felt by people who had given the virus to their family members and urged people in Sydney not to flout the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

“Most of the cases overnight are people spreading the virus in their own households, in their own families, and in their own friend circle,” Ms Berejiklian said as she announced 27 new community cases on Wednesday morning.

“When people do the wrong thing it does have consequences when you have a virus this contagious.”

Sydneysiders are forbidden from leaving their homes except in certain circumstances under rules that have been extended until July 16.

The lockdown came after the Delta variant of the coronavirus began spreading in the city’s eastern suburbs.

Gladys Berejiklian said she had been told of the ‘enormous guilt’ felt by people who had given the virus to their family members and urged people in Sydney not to flout the ongoing coronavirus restrictions. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Since the outbreak began cases have popped up in many areas of the Greater Sydney area.

Residents in three local government areas were warned on Wednesday they could be subject to even tougher restrictions after an “escalating risk” had been identified in the area.

Ms Berejiklian said she’d like to “foreshadow” that residents of the Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool local government areas could be subject to even more restrictive rules.

“Health will consider that advice, but a next step could be limiting even further movement through the health orders,” she said.

“At the moment, obviously, we have broad rules as to why people are allowed to leave the house and allowed to exercise, but if we need to, NSW Health may provide advice on further restriction of movement in those communities.”

Chief health officer Kerry Chant acknowledged the authorities hadn’t done a good enough job communicating the risks and rules to people in those areas.

NSW Police issue dozens of penalty infringement notices for breaches of the coronavirus rules each day, with transgressions occurring across the state and including among people with high-level community leadership roles.

Among those who have been served with PINs are Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and a NSW Police superintendent, both of whom were fined for not wearing masks where they were supposed to.

NSW Police issued 75 PINs in the most recent 24-hour reporting period.