More ADF personnel are expected to hit the ground as part of a tougher compliance operation, while police are granted more powers.

The NSW Government has been granted an additional 500 Australian Defence Force personnel to be brought into Sydney as part of a tougher compliance operation to keep the states continuing COVID-19 situation in check.
7NEWS understands Police Minister David Elliott and NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller fronted the states crisis cabinet on Wednesday to make the request, which was granted.
See the latest on the NSW COVID-19 situation in the video player above
They will join the 300 ADF troops who have already begun reinforcing the efforts of NSW Police across Sydney, patrolling and doorknocking in Sydneys west and southwest to ensure COVID-19 health orders are being observed in the hotspots where the virus is surging.
Public health orders will also be strengthened to remove loopholes that allow travel outside of Sydney after a Rose Bay man travelled to Byron Bay while infected.
Commissioner Fuller will be put in charge of overseeing the crackdown.
Elliot said the ADF personnel would form a functional, effective and dynamic team to help fight the pandemic.
There is a longstanding and highly-professional relationship between the NSW Police Force and the ADF, he said after the initial 300 ADF personnel were granted in late July.
As I have said previously, support from the Army will add another line of defence to the NSW Governments crackdown on COVID-19 compliance.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had earlier on Wednesday revealed harsh lockdown restrictions in Greater Sydney will remain throughout September and October – for at least 11 more weeks.
Thats when the freedoms that we had before this outbreak are certainly going to be in place, and where we can look forward to having a normal existence, she said.
As if the past two months havent been challenging enough, the strain of Delta is showing.
NSW recorded 344 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, with the bulk still in the hotspot areas that are under the toughest restrictions.
New South Wales has recorded another 344 locally acquired COVID-19 cases. Creative image. Credit: 7NEWS.com.au
Cases in Canterbury-Bankstown are levelling off but are still the highest in Greater Sydney, while new infections are rising in Cumberland, Penrith and Blacktown.
And spreading.
Neighbouring council areas of Strathfield, Burwood, Inner West and Bayside are – for now – on notice.
We dont want to include you in those local governments of concern but we might have to, Berejiklian said.
Police have been cracking down on compliance across the state. Credit: NSW Police/ NSW Health
The death toll from the current COVID-19 outbreak has now reached 35 after a man in his 90s died at Concord Hospital, and a man in his 30s died at Northern Beaches Hospital.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the man in his 30s was not vaccinated but had some significant underlying health conditions.
Cases in the Hunter region continue to rise, with 11 residents and three staff members infected at an outbreak in a Newcastle nursing home.
Dubbo, in the states central west, has been plunged into lockdown after a woman and her child tested positive to coronavirus.
There are no new cases in the other restricted regions of Armidale, Tamworth and the Far North Coast, but travel has been restricted in Sydneys Inner West.
Two cases at a Leichardt bus depot has forced drivers and maintenance workers into two weeks isolation, meaning local services have been slashed by 80 per cent – with no warning.
Health officials are also worried about Camden, the Hills Shire and Ryde.
But in areas where cases are low, such as the Northern Beaches, North Shore and Sutherland, some freedoms could return by the end of the month – when the vaccination rate is at least 50 per cent.
It may be that we can do some things in some areas where they havent seen any cases, if the situation remains in place, Chant said on Wednesday.
Its a vague plan to allow activities dubbed low risk, and one that even Berejiklian admitted doesnt mean we will live like we did before the outbreak but certainly allows people to do more than they can do today.