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COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney will likely be extended as an outbreak in the city reaches a "critical phase".
Two new locally transmitted cases have been recorded in NSW, taking Sydney's eastern suburbs COVID cluster to 11.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says it's an "optimistic sign" the pair are both close contacts of previously reported cases and tested positive while in isolation.
The woman in her 50s from Sydney's north and the man in his 30s from the eastern suburbs were both diagnosed after the 8pm cut off and will be included in Tuesday's numbers.
Another two cases, announced on Sunday morning, were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday and have been included in Monday's figures.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says authorities are very concerned by the extremely contagious nature of this Delta strain.
"In some instances, the exchanges have been scaringly fleeting," she told reporters on Monday.
"People not even physically touching each other but literally fleetingly coming into the same airspace has seen the virus transferred from one person to another."
Dr Chant says the new infections are a positive sign contact tracing and isolation is working, but says NSW isn't out of the woods.
"From one person alone we've had four or five cases ... even if they infect one or two each, you can see how it grows exponentially."
"That's why this is such a critical phase.
"We need to find all the cases, and make sure we identify the close contacts and casual contacts."
NSW Health said in a statement that people in the eastern suburbs who don't have symptoms and have not been at exposure venues at the listed times don't need to isolate.
However they are encouraged to avoid gatherings, minimise their movements, and work from home if possible.
The growing cluster has also prompted the government to mandate mask-wearing in seven local council areas.
Anyone shopping, working in hospitality or indoors must wear a mask unless eating or drinking if they live in the local government areas of Randwick, Bayside, Botany Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra.
Masks are also compulsory on public transport in Greater Sydney, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas until Thursday.
Greater Sydney and Blue Mountains residents have been told to avoid non-essential visits to aged care and disability facilities and if visiting must wear a mask with a limit of two visitors a day.
Ms Berejiklian said restrictions would likely be extended and called for more people to get tested.
She also appealed for more Pfizer vaccine doses at a national cabinet meeting on Monday.
"The current outbreak we're experiencing demonstrates the risk is always there, the threats are always there, no matter how good your systems are," Ms Berejiklian told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday morning.
"Other states have received a top-up, and I just want to make sure we get our fair share, especially given the vast majority of Aussies coming back home are coming through Sydney Airport."
She later told reporters she had been assured the doses would be distributed to states according to their population.
The latest outbreak was sparked last week when an unvaccinated limousine driver, who transported overseas aircrew to and from the airport, tested positive after visiting multiple venues, including the popular Bondi Junction shopping centre.
Hundreds of people are isolating after scores of close contact exposure sites were identified across more than a dozen suburbs.
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Clouds rather than crowds have greeted the summer solstice at Britain's iconic Stonehenge, while technical difficulties prevented thousands from watching online at sunrise.
The neolithic Wiltshire monument in England's southwest had been preparing for a return to welcoming visitors in person until Boris Johnson's government delayed the easing of coronavirus lockdown into July.
Normally, up to 30,000 people would gather to watch the sun rise over the stones on the longest day of the year, but for the second consecutive year restrictions instead turned the event into a virtual one.
Thousands tuned in on English Heritage's Facebook page and YouTube but technical problems meant the live feed was not available at 4.52am, when the sun rose.
The feed returned around 5am, but the sunrise was obscured by cloudy skies.
Meanwhile, police closed off an area at nearby Avebury stone circle over fears restrictions at Stonehenge would lead people to gather there.
Wiltshire Police posted on social media they had closed off access following the arrival of a large number of vehicles.
On the summer solstice at Stonehenge when skies are clear, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the stone circle, and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.
It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge, an important site for pagans and druids, for thousands of years.
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A 30-year-old man's coronavirus infection will be included in local transmission numbers for NSW on Sunday, as the state's latest cluster continues to grow.
NSW recorded two new locally acquired cases on Saturday - a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s who both visited the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre - bringing the outbreak to six cases.
The younger man's case came to light after the Saturday reporting period.
A limousine driver aged in his 60s who was transporting international flight crew is thought to be the source of the outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta strain, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Saturday.
The NSW government has warned testing levels are not high enough, with around 26,000 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm Friday.
Some states have tightened border restrictions for those looking to travel from eastern Sydney or who have been to exposure sites.
Victoria recorded one locally acquired virus infection on Saturday with the state continuing to emerge from its fourth lockdown.
The new case is a close contact of an existing case and has been in quarantine while infectious.
There are 51 active cases in the state, including those in hotel quarantine who acquired their infection overseas.
Masks are no longer required outdoors and travel restrictions were scrapped in Victoria from Friday.
Labor has repeated its claim the federal government relied too heavily on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for Australia's rollout.
Medical experts are now recommending people under 60 receive the Pfizer jab due to the extremely rare risk of blood clots for AstraZeneca recipients.
But the 840,000 people aged 50 to 59 who have already had a single AstraZeneca dose have been told to get their second jab of that vaccine.
Two deaths have occurred in Australia from 3.8 million AstraZeneca doses.
National cabinet will meet on Monday to discuss what the increased reliance on Pfizer imports means for the immunisation program.
Also on Saturday, federal trade minister Dan Tehan said he would fly to Singapore for more talks about a travel bubble.
Despite months of discussions about the proposal, he told reporters it remains unclear what infection or vaccination levels would be needed to see the plan established.
Meanwhile, Australia is sending a medical team to Fiji to help combat the country's latest COVID-19 outbreak.
The assistance comes in addition to 1.3 tonnes of PPE, medical supplies and testing equipment donated since the outbreak began in April, as well as $83 million of funding for COVID measures since the start of 2021.
Australia is also set to make a delivery of 11,800 coronavirus vaccines to Tuvalu, as well as laboratory fridges and other medicines, with the federal government also supporting the Tuvalu Ministry of Health's communications campaign to encourage vaccine uptake.
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A man has been charged with 80 offences as part of a police investigation into the supply of prohibited drugs in the NSW Hunter region.
The arrest of the 36-year-old follows the alleged seizure of more than $240,000 along with 14 grams of methylamphetamines from a home in Newcastle in April.
Police say strike force officers found the cash hidden in a handbag and a safe, while the drugs were stashed in a microwave oven.
A 34-year-old woman who was home at the time of the search was arrested and charged with supply prohibited drug and two counts of deal with proceeds of crime. She remains before the courts.
Following inquiries, the man was arrested at Maitland Police Station on Friday.
He has been charged with 80 offences including supplying prohibited drugs, supplying prohibited drugs on an ongoing basis, possessing prohibited drugs and dealing in the proceeds of crime.
The man has been refused bail and is scheduled to appear before Maitland Local Court on Thursday.
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