Member for Wollongong Paul Scully and the city's lord mayor Gordon Bradbery went against the norm on Monday and told visitors to stay away from Wollongong.
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"I spend a lot of my time encouraging people to come to Wollongong, encouraging people to visit Wollongong.
"Today I'm saying don't. Hold off on your visit to Wollongong, don't breach the public health orders, just stay at home because that is in the interests of not only your community but it is in the interests of our community," Mr Scully said.
Cr Bradbery also urged people to stay away from Wollongong in an effort to help police enforce public health orders.
Wollongong's lord mayor also warned Sydneysiders from coming to visit the new COVID patients transferred to Wollongong Hospital from Liverpool Hospital.
"I want to emphasise this isn't an invitation to visit your family in Wollongong Hospital," he said.
"The rules are very clear. I do not want those people utilising this as an opportunity to spread the COVID virus. It is highly contagious."
Cr Bradbery also worried about putting too much stress on the city's hospital system, adding Wollongong now had a vaccination hub open for business.
"We've got to be compassionate and make all the medical facilities available throughout the state to boost the opportunities for people to be treated," he said.
"But the issue is we shouldn't have got in this situation in the first place if people had followed the public health orders and also taken up the vaccines that are available.
"If you can't get to the hub go to your local GP.
"There are myriad of opportunities to be vaccinated, there are different vaccines if you are concerned but at the same time there are the public health orders that we all need to abide by.
"I know it is challenging but it is extremely important we get through this period."
Wollongong Police district commander Superintendent Evan Quarmby said a substantial police operation in recent weeks had been targetting people who were coming into [Wollongong's Blue Mile] against the regulations of the public health orders.
Supt Quarmby said like fellow Wollongong residents he was very concerned that people were still coming to the area who were in breach of the public health orders.
"My message today if very clear. If you come to this area, there is a high likelihood that you will be caught and infringed if you are in breach of those health orders," he said.
"if you see people doing the wrong thing or suspect they are doing the wrong thing , please call Crime Stoppers or let us know.
"We've mounted a significant police operation involving general duties police and other police across the entire district. We are actively out patrolling in a high-visability presence.
"We've got push bikes out and about, we've got cars on the road, we're doing mobile RBTs and we're generally making sure we speak to as many people as possible just to confirm they're in compliance with the public health order.
"This is about safety in our community. This is about safety for our residents. This is about keeping this disease out of the Wollongong police district and the greater Illawarra to the best of our ability."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
