New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at a news conference that fines for stay-at-home order breaches had been increased from 1,000 Australian dollars, about $737, to $5,000 Australian dollars, or $3,700, according to Reuters. 

While local authorities had been considering easing some restrictions by the time Sydney's nine-week lockdown was scheduled to end Aug. 28, limits on activities are likely to continue, with Berejiklian saying Saturday that "September and October are going to be very difficult." 

"This is literally a war, and we've known we've been in a war for some time, but never to this extent," she added, according to Reuters. 

On Saturday, New South Wales recorded 466 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, outpacing the previous record of 390 set just the day before, Reuters reported. 

Four new coronavirus-related deaths were also reported Saturday, bringing the state total in the recent coronavirus surge to 42. 

"We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one," Berejiklian told reporters. "And it's also regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in." 

Reuters reported that a new $2,210 fine ($3,000 Australian dollars) would be imposed on individuals entering rural areas of the state without an official permit, with stay-at-home orders now issued for regions that were not previously included in lockdowns.