NSW aged care worker, resident get virus

Brad Hazzard says the female health care worker at Anglicare's Newmarch House aged care facility in Caddens, in western Sydney, went to work while she had symptoms of an illness for six days.

She has since tested positive for the coronavirus.

A resident of the aged care facility has also been confirmed to have the virus while another resident is awaiting test results, Anglicare Sydney says in a statement.

Newmarch House staff who were in close contact with the resident or their colleague are self-isolating at home while all residents are in self-isolation in their own rooms.

The woman also worked two shifts at Greystanes Disability Services in Leura, with all residents now isolating in their own rooms and six staff in self-isolation at home.

Mr Hazzard implored people not to go to work if they are unwell, especially if they work in aged care.

"Unfortunately, the potential is disastrous consequences if you're working with some of our most vulnerable people," Mr Hazzard said on Monday.

"The simple message here is if you're working at an aged care facility, you are working with some of our most vulnerable people in (the) community, please just don't go."

NSW on Monday recorded two more COVID-19 deaths, taking the state's death toll to 26.

A 74-year-old woman died in John Hunter Hospital and a 79-year-old man died in the Northern Beaches Hospital.

Both were passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which is linked to hundreds of COVID-19 cases nationwide.

The state recorded nine new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases to 2863. More than 2600 people were tested in the past 24 hours.

"The fact we had nine new cases clearly indicates we are moving in the right direction, but we still have a lot more to do," Mr Hazzard said.

"No one should think we can slacken off in the efforts we are trying to undertake at the moment."

Thirty people are in intensive care, with 21 requiring ventilators and one having their blood mechanically oxygenated via the ECMO system.

NSW Health said 66 crew on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship have tested positive to the coronavirus and many are close to recovery.

Eleven sick crew members who have been evacuated from the ship remain in Sydney health facilities.

NSW Health acting director Dr Christine Selvey said authorities are urging residents in several areas to get tested even if they have mild symptoms because it's unknown how people there became infected with COVID-19.

The areas include Penrith, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Sydney's inner west and the suburbs of Westmead, Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick and Ryde, Manning on the mid-north coast and Lake Macquarie near Newcastle.

Meanwhile, NSW Police has issued more than 200 fines over the Easter long weekend to people breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

Commissioner Mick Fuller said most residents did well in adhering to the rules and many of the fines were for people who had already been given several warnings by police.

"The long weekend brought a new challenge for us and I think people dealt with it really well," he said.

Australian Associated Press