Here's what you need to know this morning.
Lockdown to be extended
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will today announce a four-week extension of Greater Sydney's lockdown in light of the state's worsening coronavirus crisis, as business groups call for more financial support.
The announcement is due at the Premier's daily coronavirus briefing where she is expected to outline what life will look like for the extra month of lockdown.
Workers could see the introduction of rapid antigen testing while those living alone may be allowed to nominate a designated person to visit their home in what's been referred to as a "singles bubble".
However, business groups are warning that many jobs will be lost and businesses will go under.
The head of Business NSW, Daniel Hunter said while the recent financial support was welcomed, it didn't go far enough.
"If businesses are employing a lot of people and they have a lot of debt overheads, they need more," he said.
"And to put it simply, jobs and businesses won't survive without more support as this lockdown gets extended and the restrictions get harsher."
He's called the state and federal governments to work together on a joint additional financial relief package.
NSW yesterday recorded its worst day of the Delta outbreak with 172 cases, 60 of these were out in the community while infectious while a further 19 cases were in isolation for only part of their infectious period.
COVID-19 scare at RPA
There was coronavirus scare at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital yesterday afternoon, after a COVID-19 patient went to the emergency department.
The hospital said all staff were wearing protective gear, and the affected area was closed for cleaning.
Chief executive of Sydney Local Area Health District, Dr Teresa Anderson said all close and casual contacts have been identified but there were no staff among them.
She said some ambulances were "redistributed" to other hospitals within the district but denied reports that ambulances were "turned away from RPA".
She said patients and staff who enter the hospital continue to be screened in line with COVID-safe protocols that have been in place throughout the pandemic.
Jabs for over-18s at pharmacists
From today, anyone over the age of 18 in NSW will be able to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine at a pharmacist.
The change is part of the government's drive to increase the uptake of vaccines across Greater Sydney but particularly in the hotspot areas of south-west and Western Sydney.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently changed its advice on AstraZeneca for people over 18 in response to the growing COVID-19 Delta spread.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday reiterated her message about the benefits of vaccines and how critical they are to "live life more freely".
"We know the restriction and vaccination strategy will be our recipe for freedom," she said.
"We are told by the federal authorities that by the end of October we'll be awash with vaccines. We have a challenging six weeks until we get the numbers up."
From Friday, those over 18 will also be able to book AstraZeneca vaccines from NSW Health's vaccination hubs.
Councils ignoring disclosure rules
One-third of NSW local governments are ignoring disclosure rules, a report has found.
An audit of local governments across the state has found almost one-third are still not disclosing the interests of their office-holders.
New guidelines were implemented two years ago requiring councillors and senior staff to publish their financial interests online, to increase accountability and transparency.
But an audit conducted by the Information and Privacy Commission into 52 of the states 128 councils has found 29 per cent were not complying, especially those in rural areas.
There were similar rates of non-compliance in an analysis of councils in Greater Sydney, conducted by the ABC one year ago.
Opposition Local Government spokesman Greg Warren called on the government to introduce legislation to bolster reporting requirements.
"By making all appropriate disclosures, ratepayers can have confidence that there are no undisclosed conflicts of interest and that their elected representatives are acting in the community's best interest," he said.
The NSW local government elections are now due to be held on December 4, after twice being postponed because of the worsening outbreak of COVID-19.
