Five men who had tested positive for COVID-19 in country NSW but then allegedly breached their self isolation orders after they’d been escorted back to south-west Sydney, have been fined $5000 each.

The five men were sitting at a footpath table on Monday morning when police went up to them, asking they why they were not wearing masks.

The officers spoke to the men, who revealed they had tested positive to COVID-19 in rural NSW and had been ordered to self-isolate for 14 days after being escorted back to Sydney on August 23.

Following the police inquiries, all five men – aged 23, 25, 26, 31 and 32 – were issued $5000 Penalty Infringement Notices for not complying with the public health orders.

Escorted back to their premises for self-isolation.

The men were escorted back to their premises to continue their mandatory isolation.

This comes after Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned that October will be the “worst time” for the state’s intensive care units and health system.

NSW reported another record number of new COVID cases on Monday, with four deaths, 1,290 local infections, and western Sydney remaining the main area of transmission.

“We anticipate that the worst month, the worst time for our intensive care units will be in October," said Berejiklian. "The number of cases we have in intensive care will depend on our vaccination rate and also on the number of cases, and we all have a hand in determining what that looks like.

“Vaccination is the key in terms of our freedom and reducing the spread of the virus,” she added..

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