NSW has recorded its highest daily count of COVID-19 since Sydney went into lockdown as the state's leader pleaded with people to stay at home with even the mildest of symptoms.
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NSW recorded 31 locally-acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm, with 12 active in the community while infectious.
27 of the cases were linked to previous infections, chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
Three patients are in intensive care but are not ventilated.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the number of people who were active while potentially infectious was "concerning" and pleaded with the public to obey the health orders where they were.
She said the effects of those measures would show up in the case numbers over the next few days.
"What we're seeing today is a lag of the last few days before we went into lockdown," Ms Berejiklian said.
"The next few days are critical.
"I am relieved I have to say that the case numbers are not as bad as they could have been [but] we are still in the stage of mopping up."
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Ms Berejiklian said it was critical that people followed the public health orders to help lead the state out of lockdown.
"We know the settings in place are what is needed to take us out of the lockdown, but what we can't assume is that people will do the right thing 100 per cent of the time.
"Even a handful of people doing the wrong thing can have devastating consequences."
The effects of the lockdown are expected to show up in numbers during the next week.
More than 73,000 tests were conducted in the state during the 24-hour window.
Dr Chant said that the lockdown had shifted the primary sources of infections from hospitality venues to retail outlets.
"The message is please don't go out and about shopping, in retail in any setting, if you've got symptoms,
"Please do assume you are next to someone who may have COVID."
Dr Chant refused to comment on whether lockdown would end next Friday as planned, but she said high levels of testing would help the state exit lockdown so long as there was "a turn in the numbers".
"We have had a sustained testing level that we have never seen before in the state, but we cannot get fatigued," Dr Chant said.
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