The current Covid restrictions and mask wearing rules for regional NSW have been extended again by another two weeks until the end of July.

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In a press conference today, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the lockdown in the Sydney region which was due to end this Friday has been extended for at least two weeks to July 30.

The Premier said the lockdown was necessary, after NSW recorded 97 new Covid-19 cases.

She also said that while it "hurt" to have to extend the lockdown, state could not afford any setbacks.

"We want to get out of this lockdown as soon as we can and that is why we have the settings in place that we have,” she said.

“The current settings in terms of what people can't do won't change for at least two weeks.

“Of course, if health advice changes and we need to do anything further, we will.”

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Cases

Of the recorded Covid cases, 70 of them were in Sydney's south west and 24 of the new cases were out in the community while infectious.

While most of the new infections were linked to known clusters, the source of 36 remained under investigation.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said there were currently 71 COVID-19 patients in hospital.

Twenty of them were in intensive care, four of whom were ventilated.

Students

The extension of the lockdown means it will overlap with the start of HSC trials for Year 12 students, with home learning continuing for Sydney school students for another two weeks. 

The Premier said special arrangements would be put in place for those students.

With tighter restrictions also now in place in parts of Sydney, the Premier said financial support measures were now in place to allow non-essential workers to stay at home.