Greater Sydney's lockdown will be extended until at least the end of August, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed.
It comes as the state recorded 177 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with 46 of those infectious in the community.
The lockdown be in place for another four weeks, ending on August 28.
"In the last few days, it would have not been possible for us to get out of lockdown tomorrow or Friday and given also the advice, it would not have been realistic for the NSW government to make a decision in the next two weeks given where we are today," she said.
Three more LGAs added to high-risk list
Parramatta, Georges River and Campbelltown local government areas have been added to the high risk regions of coronavirus transmission.
"If you live in those three local government areas, you are not allowed to leave those areas for work unless its in those critical industries that we've identified," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Those rules come into effect at midnight tonight."
Non-occupied construction can proceed outside of the eight local government areas labelled high-risk.
Home schooling to stay, Year 12s to return to classrooms
Greater Sydney's lockdown will mean four more weeks of home schooling.
"We appreciate that this means another month of home-school learning," Ms Berejiklian said.
"We know what a stress that is for parents.
"In the next four weeks, children will need to be home-schooled, except for year 12."
Year 12 students will be able to return to face-to-face learning in two weeks' time, on August 16.
"Year 12 students in the eight high-risk local government areas will be subject to a Pfizer vaccination program," she said.
"Those vaccines will be taken from regional areas to ensure the Year 12 students can get the vaccines."
'Singles bubble' announced
The NSW government has allowed a "singles bubble" for people living by themselves.
"If you have been living by yourself, you are allowed to nominate one person that is allowed to visit you but it has to be the same person," Ms Berejiklian said.
For people within the high-risk eight LGAs, the one nominated person must also live within 10km and the LGA itself.
She also warned there would be a greater police presence cracking down on coronavirus breaches.
"If you see somebody not doing the right thing, please, report it," she said.
"We cannot put up with people continuing to do the wrong thing because it is setting us all back."
NSW records another COVID-19 death
The state's death toll from the current outbreak has risen to 11, after an unvaccinated woman in her 90s has died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
She died in Liverpool Hospital, but her death is not related to the outbreak there, Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
There are currently 165 coronavirus cases in hospital in NSW, with 56 in intensive care and 22 requiring ventilation.
"We are confronting a situation where the two key drivers of transmission remain connections between household transmission and also workplaces," Dr Chant said.
"On a positive note, we know that lockdowns work, and we just have to hold our course."
Cases stabilise in Fairfield
In some good news, case numbers have stabilised in the Fairfield local government area, Ms Berejiklian said.
As a result, only aged care and health workers will be required to get three-day testing for the virus.
Outside of the eight high-risk local government areas, tradies will be allowed to come to a premise so long as they don't have contact with anybody.
Some areas may have lockdowns eased early
Ms Berejiklian has flagged that some parts of Greater Sydney may have lockdown restrictions loosened earlier than scheduled.
She specifically identified Wollongong and Shellharbour as regions that were doing much better than others in Sydney itself.
She pointed to the Orange area leaving a week of lockdown after a coronavirus scare yesterday.
Construction work to resume
Construction work can recommence outside the eight high-risk LGAs, but with more rules in place.
Workers who live in those LGAs cannot leave for work.
With smaller projects like renovations, two tradies are allowed inside a building, and five allowed outside.
A building cannot have people living inside during an active renovation.
Breaches in workplaces 'cannot happen'
The premier has lamented seeing people breaching coronavirus restrictions in the workplace.
"I was so disturbed when I saw images today publicly made available of workplaces not even wearing masks indoors or not even complying to the health orders," she said.
"This cannot happen."
The premier said many people wanted to the right thing but were unsure of what the right thing was.
"When you think you might be doing the right thing and visiting a relative or household in your street you may have visited every day for all of your life, you need to stop that," she said.
"You might be thinking you are doing them a favour but in fact, you might be presenting the virus to that entire household."
AstraZeneca vaccine demand 'through the roof'
The number of people getting AstraZeneca vaccines has gone "through the roof" in NSW, Ms Berejiklian has said.
"We know that having more vaccines in arms doesn't just protect the individual but slows the spread and we know that's critical moving forward," she said.
"We can't open up and live freely unless we have the number close to zero or unless we have high rates of vaccination."
Today's lockdown extension is in response to case numbers, which remain stubbornly high despite a lockdown being in place for a month already.
