A western Sydney café and Priceline Pharmacy added as high-risk exposure sites ...

A busy Western Sydney chemist and a cafe in the city's southwest have been added to the list of Covid high-risk exposure sites in NSW. 

Anyone who visited Priceline at Penrith's Southlands Shopping Centre on August 2 or 3 is considered a close contact and should immediately get tested and self-isolate after a staff member worked two days while infectious. 

The same goes for anyone who visited Bondeno Cafe in Fairfield on July 24, July 26 and July 27 after a hospitality worker tested positive to coronavirus. 

Earlier on Friday, a large number of retail outlets including an Apple Store, McDonalds, and Cotton On shop were added to the list of Covid exposure sites in regional New South Wales. 

Anyone who visited the venues at Charlestown Square shopping Centre in Newcastle on Thursday July 29 is a close contact and must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result. 

The new exposure venues were added on Friday afternoon after the state recorded its highest spike in cases since the pandemic began, with 291 new infections.

A confirmed case visited shops including the Apple Store along with Boost Juice, Cotton On, Guzman y Gomez, Jay Jays, McDonald's and a Priceline Pharmacy. 

In addition to Friday's new sites, on Thursday a KFC in Punchbowl in Sydney's south-west was listed as an exposure venue after 12 infected staff members worked there over an entire week. 

The fast food venue was exposed from July 27 to August 2. 

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the new cases at the fast food outlet highlighted just how infectious the virus was. 

'Each of those 12 people will go back to their households and introduce it into their households,' she said.

'Then you get the cycle of transmission. That is why it is so critical that people get tested at the earliest point, and that people even in workplaces follow all the Covid safety practices.  

Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted the latest outbreak was showing no signs of relenting with one death recorded on Friday. 

'I am expecting higher case numbers in the next few days and I just want everyone to be prepared for that,' she said at a press conference on Friday. 

The new cases smash the previous record of 262 infections that were reported on Thursday. Of the new cases, 50 were out in the community while they were infectious. There were 110,000 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.  

An unvaccinated woman in her 60s, from south-west Sydney, has also died at Liverpool Hospital. She is the 79th person in the state to succumb to the virus since the start of the pandemic. 

Dr Chant said the woman had contracted Covid-19 from a healthcare worker at the hospital.

'Sadly, the lady was exposed by a health worker who worked across two wards, the aged-care ward and the ward this woman was in,' she said.

'There are a large number of people impacted by that. I extend my apologies and sympathies to the family.'    

Ms Berejiklian noted that the highest increase of cases were being recorded in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government areas - one of eight LGAs that are currently under hard lockdown.

She warned more police officers would be patrolling the area - less than a week after deploying defence force personnel on Monday. 

'We are seeing too many people frequent certain shopping areas and perhaps not doing the right thing,' she said.

'So police will be more present in the Canterbury-Bankstown local area to ensure compliance and we have to make sure that happens, because we don't want to see these case numbers continue to grow into the next few weeks.'  

Suburbs that have recorded the biggest spike in cases include Campsie, Bankstown, Lakemba, Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Yagoona, Greenacre, Earlwood, Bass Hill and Chester Hill.   

Dr Chant told residents to remain vigilant of flu-like symptoms and avoid shopping centres during peak hours. 

'So it is important for anyone going into that area or essential work, working in that area, living in that area, to be very, very vigilant,' she said. 

'We are seeing transmission, potentially around shopping areas.

'Do not enter shops when there are other people in the shop, wait outside.' 

Year 12 students living in the eight local government areas under hard lockdown will also be unable to return to the classrooms as planned by August 16.  

'Trials will be done at home and at least it means that there is certainty and all students know they will qualify for the HSC,' Ms Berejiklian said. 

Meanwhile, their peers in other parts of Sydney will be allowed to visit their schools if necessary.  

'In areas outside of those local government areas there will be a flexible model for HSC students, if you need to go into the classroom for whatever reason in order to pick up material or do some face-to-face exams or whatever is required,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'Health and education have worked out a very safe way for that to occur. It won't be normal classes but certainly it will be a level of presence to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in terms of acquiring their qualifications.'

High school students will be able to receive their Pfizer doses at Qudos Bank Arena from Monday.  

'HSC students in those eight local government areas will be invited to get the Pfizer jab... and we do encourage your student to make sure they come forward for that opportunity,' Ms Berejiklian said. 

Health Minister Brad Hazzard encouraged students to 'go for gold' and get their jabs. 

'You are being given a golden opportunity to attend the Qudos Bank Arena next week,' he said.

'We've seen our Olympic stars go for gold, we've seen the most amazing stars in the Qudos Bank Arena –I think there has been Lana Del Rey, Keith Urban, P!nk, Madonna – you have a chance to go to that stadium next week and get some gold by getting your first vaccination, your first Pfizer vaccination.' 

Ms Berejiklian was asked by reporters whether she supported bosses mandating vaccinations in their workplaces.

'Workplaces have the right to mandate vaccination, if they decide they have a particular policy of who is allowed to work in their workplace under a pandemic during a lockdown, that is a matter for them,' she said. 

There are currently 304 cases being treated in hospital, with 50 in intensive care units and 22 on ventilation. 

Forty-four patients in the intensive care unit have not been vaccinated while the remaining six have only received their first dose.