Illegal party-goers in Randwick and the Central Coast are among the 167 penalty infringement notices issued by NSW Police, as Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys takes aim at people celebrating amid the worsening COVID crisis.

Police in New South Wales have started conducting compliance checks at Sydney hotels after six people staying at the Meriton Suites on Kent Street were found to have breached the state’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Key points:

• NSW Police issued 167 penalty infringement notices (PINs) yesterday
• Parties and gatherings are a major source of new COVID-19 cases 
• Compliance checks at Sydney hotels have been stepped up

It was one of several illegal gatherings held on Friday eight people were fined at a get-together in Randwick, in Sydney’s east, while six people were sprung at a birthday party on the Central Coast.
The bashes were held amid a worsening COVID-19 crisis in NSW, with 50 new infections recorded in the 24 hours to 8:00pm on Friday the highest daily total since the current outbreak began last month.
Police issued 167 penalty infringement notices yesterday to people flouting stay-at-home orders.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi
)
Police say a woman who had breached COVID rules at the Kent Street Meriton suites was wanted on an outstanding warrant.(Supplied
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NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys took aim at people celebrating as the Delta variant spread around Greater Sydney, saying, “this type of behaviour is nothing short of disrespectful”.
Police said one 26-year-old woman caught at the Meriton Suites on Friday night was wanted on an outstanding warrant.
The ABC understands the hotel is fully cooperating with the police investigation.
Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from July 10 with a look back at our blog
Earlier in the day, officers were called to a home on Arthur Street in Randwick after being tipped off about a gathering there.
Police spoke with two men outside the property, one of whom said he was delivering a package, although he did not have a package.
A total of eight men aged between 31 and 50 were located around the home, including one man hiding behind a shower curtain in the bathroom.
Five people were issued with PINs after gathering at a residence at The Entrance.(Supplied
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Five of the people were found not to be living at the property. The eight men were fined $1,000 each.
Meanwhile, officers on the Central Coast busted an 18th birthday party just before 10:00pm on Friday.
A 17-year-old girl was issued with a warning under the Young Offenders Act, while the other five people were each fined $1,000.
Deputy Commissioner Worboys said the gatherings were “really good examples of what people should not be doing”.
What are the new COVID-19 restrictions for NSW?
Parties and gatherings have been a major source of new COVID-19 cases in NSW, as the ultra-infectious Delta COVID-19 variant spreads despite NSW’s lockdown.
A birthday party in West Hoxton held before the lockdown, on June 19 has been linked to 45 infections.
A gathering at another Meriton Suites, at Waterloo, which was held on the first day of Greater Sydney’s lockdown, has so far been linked to 35 cases, with 10 new infections identified on Friday.
Deputy Commissioner Worboys said officers issued 167 penalty infringement notices (PINs) on Friday to people breaching public health orders.
Police have focused their efforts on Sydney’s south-west, where 100 extra officers were deployed in an area health authorities had identified as the new epicentre of Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Mounted police patrolled the streets of Fairfield after the area was identified as a COVID hotspot.(ABC News: Tim Swanston
)
While there were no arrests or charges there, police issued 67 penalty infringement notices.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged people who had broken the state’s lockdown to be honest with contact tracers.
“I do want to state that out of those 50 cases, the vast majority of those cases and I can’t stress this enough are close family or friends of people who have COVID,” she said.
“So, people are getting the virus and then spreading it to those closest to them.
“If you truly love your parents, your sisters, your best friends, please stick to the rules.”
What you need to know about coronavirus: