A confused little girl sat in her father's arms as he was berated by two police officers for not wearing a mask in a Covid hotspot.

But he was unable to comfort her as he was handcuffed with his arms behind his back, sprawled on the ground in a park in south-west Sydney.

The distressed father, 31, had been stopped by police on a walking path in Garrison Point Reserve, in George's Hall, about 2.20pm on Saturday.

Police alleged he became verbally abusive and aggressive toward the officers when they spoke to him about not wearing a mask.

'Officers warned the man on multiple occasions about his conduct before he was arrested,' NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia.

The incident comes as New South Wales declared 1,290 new cases - the majority of Australia's record 1,355 cases reported on Monday - as the nation struggles to contain the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Officials warned on Monday that the state - the epicentre of its current COVID-19 outbreak, will hit a peak in intensive care hospitalisations in October as cases accumulate, amid reporting the record daily rise in new infections.