Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone says Covid 5km bubble can be breached for KFC

The mayor of Fairfield in Sydney's Covid-hit southwest encouraged a constituent to leave her 5km bubble to buy KFC, telling critics the woman is at 'no greater risk' than if she chose to buy take out closer to home.

Frank Carbone has been an outspoken critic of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's approach to lockdown, claiming that there are clear double standards between the treatment of residents in the southwest and those in Sydney's east.

Residents in eight local government areas in Sydney's west and southwest are under particularly strict lockdown orders preventing them from travelling more than 5km from home or leaving their suburbs for non-essential purposes. 

But when a woman queried about travelling further than that distance to buy KFC chicken, Mr Carbone was quick to tell her it was okay to bend the rules.

He shut down any complaints or responses designed to make the woman feel guilty, urging his community to stick together instead of criticise one another.

'We are doing it hard enough and going without, without turning on each other,' he said. 

'We can't go out, we can't do anything... if she wants KFC, let her have her chicken.

'It’s not the most important thing in life and certainly not the healthiest, but we don’t need to stop living if that is what makes us happy and it’s safe.'

Mr Carbone urged constituents 'not to be politicians and lawyers,' and instead to 'be people with common sense'.  

He later clarified that if the woman deemed a trip to KFC essential, she would not be breaking any orders by driving to the restaurant and using the drive-thru facility.