John Barilaro stepped in to defend the state government after it announced that Greater Sydney would be plunged into a 14-day long lockdown from Saturday.
Hundreds of potentially Covid-infected Sydney residents were left to wander the streets for four days after an embarrassing contact tracing error,.
NSW Health issued an alert for the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, southwest Sydney - infamous for being the epicentre of an outbreak with 65 infections in just ten days last year.
Customers who were there on Wednesday evening were told to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of their result.
However, the alert was actually meant for the Crossways Hotel on Liverpool Road in Strathfield South - 25km away - at 7pm to 10.30pm on the same day.
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Thousands of locked-down Sydneysiders flocked to beaches and parks across the Harbour City on Sunday to catch some winter sun, as millions endured their first day of full, city-wide lockdown.
But police, who were out in force as the stay-at-home orders came into effect, were far from happy with what some residents claimed to be essential exercise .
At Bondi Beach, the epicentre of the current Covid-19 outbreak, revellers were pictured with drinks in hand relaxing on the sand and nearby patches of grass.
Others were seen sprawled out on park benches lapping up the sunshine, while some kicked soccer balls and played volleyball.
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