Sydney COVID-19 outbreak: Eight LGAs face toughest restrictions yet

Berejiklian said: “If you’re in a local government area of concern — and at the moment there are eight of them — you need to make sure you wear a mask now at all times.

“If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn’t matter where it is.

“We’re seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to, or if they are outdoors, they’re coming into contact with other people and not having a mask.”

Those LGAs include:

Berejiklian also announced tougher police powers which will enable officers to shut down public areas or premises where businesses or individuals are flouting the rules. It comes as construction is set to resume across the state from this weekend.