It's going to get worse before it gets better.
That's the message from NSW today, where the state has recorded 50 locally acquired cases of COVID-19, the worst of the current outbreak.
The state's premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has turned up the notch with her rhetoric, imploring people to stick to the rules in a bid to lessen the time the state takes to bring the outbreak under control.
Greater Sydney's lockdown was first set to end on Saturday, but the city is now under the toughest restrictions in more than a year.
"The vast majority of those [new] cases - and I can't stress this enough - are close family or friends of people who have Covid," Ms Berejiklian said.
"If you truly love your parents, your sisters, your best friends, please stick to the rules."
The new cases were diagnosed from more than 42,000 tests, but include 37 who were active in the community for all or part of their infectious period.
Forty-seven coronavirus patients are now in intensive care in the state, including a 16-year-old.
Ms Berejiklian said health authorities were not asking for much given the situation the state was in.
"Cutting corners, flouting the rules is going to prolong the lockdown, and that's the last thing any of us want to see," she said.
An advertising campaign is expected to start soon encouraging Australians who are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
"This is the next phase of those communication campaigns and coincides neatly with the additional supply that is being brought forward to support the vaccination program," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.
A total of 8,871,572 vaccines have been administered since the start of the rollout, to 32.2 per cent of the population in Australia aged 16 or older, with 10.5 per cent of the eligible population in Australia now fully vaccinated.
But in more positive news, the equivalent of 8500 football fields of land will be protected in Queensland after the sites were added to the state's national parks, nature refuges and conservation parks.
The state's environment minister, Meaghan Scanlon, said protecting the environment was a "key pillar" of the state's economic recovery plan.
"As our economy and jobs bounce back, so too will our environment - with rangers to maintain these new protected areas and landholders across the state to engage local businesses to revegetate private nature refuges and create fire breaks," Ms Scanlon said.
And finally, World No.1 Ash Barty will tonight look to become Australia's first Wimbledon champion in four decades. She's the first Australian woman to reach the tournament's final since 1980.
In the lead up to the match, Barty said it would be a dream come true to win at Wimbledon.
"It took me a long time to verbalise that winning Wimbledon was my biggest dream - and now I've got the opportunity, it's incredibly exciting," the 25-year-old said.
"Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I've promised myself that I'm going to enjoy it."
Her Centre Court match starts at 11pm AEST.
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