In the Lake Illawarra district, police officers completed more than 165 inspections of licenced venues up until Sunday with seven hotels, pubs or clubs issued with warnings

There were no fines or legal action taken against venues.

Read more: Illawarra clubs reopen to patrons as COVID-19 restrictions eased

Operation Pariac, which began on June 5 of the long weekend was extended and will finish at the end of June as venues reopened and eased back into service.

The operation is usually run four times a year and targets alcohol related violence, anti-social behaviour, compliance with the serving and consumption of alcohol.

However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, police were focusing on how venues were operating and complying with public health orders.

Lake Illawarra Police District's licencing supervisor Sergeant Gary Keevers was impressed as most venues had complied with the rules from reopening and those that hadn't were spoken to, provided with educational documents and advised they could face significant fines if they did not rectify the issues.

"Then officers followed up on the warnings," he said. "No venues were operating so badly that they risked being fined or closed."

Sgt Keevers said the focus of the June high-visibility operation was auditing, compliance and education.

"When police went into venues, we checked whether there was compliance with the public health orders," he said.

"We had to ensure the dining and drinking sections of the hotels, pubs and clubs were not overcrowded and had a maximum of 50 people.

"We spoke to patrons about remaining 1.5 metres away from other people.

"Hotels for the first time had to implement a contact registry at the door as a condition of entry. Patrons had to provide their name, phone number and email address so if there was an outbreak, then people could be traced and contacted.

"The operation was about working with the industry to provide venues with education before a sterner intervention of warnings and fines would be taken."

Sgt Keevers said all venues were aware of their COVID-19 obligations prior to the operation.

"We understand it is difficult time for venues, who have just opened back up and need to make money," he said. "But we still have a zero tolerance stance on serving alcohol to minors or levels of intoxication.

"None of the venues breached those rules either."

Sgt Keevers said anti-social behaviour had also reduced as there were less patrons than normal and people were not lingering outside pubs.

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