-Police have been given new powers to crack down on Covid rule breakers 

-Businesses and work sites across the state can be shut down by police 

-Also the penalty for not wearing a mask where required increases to $500

Fines for Covid rule breakers in NSW have doubled and police given wide-ranging new powers to shut down businesses and construction sites.   

The penalty for not wearing a mask where required has more than doubled from $200 to $500 as too many people were failing to put them on.

Sydney's outbreak added 239 cases - a record for NSW in the entire pandemic - on Thursday with 66 infectious in the community and 70 under investigation.