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Three removalists who travelled to central western NSW from Sydney despite testing positive to COVID-19 have pleaded guilty in court.

Twins Roni and Ramsin Shawka, 28, and Maryo Shanki, 21, travelled from West Hoxton in southwest Sydney to Molong in central-west NSW and stopped in Figtree, South Bowenfels and Orange.

The removalists travelled to Molong in July despite discovering they were COVID-positive en route, police allege.

All three men pleaded guilty on Monday in Orange's Local Court to not complying with a COVID-19 notice direction.

Police escorted the men and their vehicles back to Greater Sydney where they were forced to isolate for two weeks.

Days later a southwest the Shawka brothers' mother died after contracting COVID-19.

The twins were forced to sit in a ute outside her Green Valley property while police conducted investigations inside the house.

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said the removalists had put regional communities at greater risk of the pandemic.

"We know that the delta variant is highly transmissible, and it is unfathomable to think that, with all the public information and health warnings, people could so blatantly ignore the health orders," he said in July.

The men have been listed for sentence before the same court on November 24.

© AAP 2021

Rapper Lil Nas X and pop star Justin Bieber have won the top prizes at MTV's annual Video Music Awards (VMA) show, in a ceremony packed with surprise appearances, live performances and thousands of masked fans.

Newcomer Olivia Rodrigo and K-pop band BTS were also among the big winners on Sunday at the first major awards shows in New York to be held with a full audience of fans and celebrities since the COVID-19 pandemic

Bieber, 27, returned to the VMA stage at the Barclays Center in New York City for the first time in six years and took home Moon Person statuettes for artist of the year and best pop for his single Peaches.

"Music is such an amazing outlet to be able to reach people and to be able to bring us all together," said Bieber, referring to the dark days of the pandemic.

Last year the VMAs took place in New York without a live audience and with most performances recorded in advance because of the pandemic.

Lil Nas X, 22, a gay, black musician who had a breakout hit with Old Town Road two years ago, won video of the year for his gay rights anthem Montero (Call Me By Your Name).

"Let's go gay agenda!" said the musician, accepting the award.

Alicia Keys sang Empire State of Mind outdoors against the backdrop of the New York City skyline, while Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, veteran New York rapper Busta Rhymes, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly were among those on stage.

Sunday's ceremony also marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of MTV as a channel dedicated to playing music videos.

Madonna, also celebrating her 40 years in the music business, opened the show in a surprise appearance.

"They said we wouldn't last. But we're still here," Madonna said.

Jennifer Lopez and Cyndi Lauper sent fans wild with unexpected appearances, with Lauper weighing in on abortion rights saying that women want "control over our bodies".

Rodrigo, 18, took home three awards, including best new artist and song of the year for Drivers License in the fan-voted awards, capping a break-out year.

"This is so insane. This has been the most magical year of my life," Rodrigo said, dedicating her win to "all the other girls who write songs on their bedroom floor".

BTS was named group of the year and won best K-Pop for single Butter, and sent thanks by video from South Korea.

Rock band Foo Fighters got the Global Icon Award recognising their 25 years in the music industry.

The 12 time Grammy-winning band performed a medley of hits with "Charlie R.I.P." scrawled on their drum kit in tribute to the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts.

© AP 2021

NSW has reported 1257 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths.

Large swathes of the state are current locked down and police are cracking down on compliance measures as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.

The seven deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday include a woman in her 60s, three people in their 80s and three people in their 90s.

There are currently 1189 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals, with 222 in intensive care beds and 94 on ventilators.

"We are seeing a stabilisation in some local government areas of concern and that's positive, we hope that continues," Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

"However, we have seen also an increase in cases as we mentioned yesterday and the day before in the inner city areas of Glebe and Redfern."

Meanwhile, the NSW-Queensland border bubble is operating again, allowing people in northern NSW who aren't locked down to travel north of the border for essential work, school or medical reasons.

Also from Monday, up to five fully vaccinated adults who live outside the 12 Sydney COVID-19 hotspots areas can gather outdoors within five kilometres of their home.

Vaccinated households that live in the 12 local government areas of concern will be able to gather outdoors for recreation for two hours outside curfew hours and within five kilometres of home.

Additionally, those aged between 12 and 15 in NSW can now book in for Pfizer or Modena COVID-19 vaccines with GPs or vaccine clinics as part of the staggered plan to get school students back to face-to-face learning later this month.

NSW has been warned of a "challenging" two months ahead with peaks in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations expected.

© AAP 2021