Sydney’s facemask rules will be extended and strengthened, as the city braces with an outbreak of the infectious delta strain of Covid-19.

From Thursday 24th June, all residents of Greater Sydney will need to wear facemasks when in a public indoor space, with an exception only if they are eating. This rule will remain in place until at least next Thursday.

This means retail staff and customers will be required to wear facemasks in order to slow the spread of the strain.

NSW Health minister Brad Hazzard also said QR code check-ins will now be mandatory to combat ‘apathy’ toward the system.

“We know QR codes have been mandatory for quite some time in areas like hospitality venues, restaurants and pubs and clubs and so on. What I want to emphasise is people need to use those QR codes,“ Hazzard said, according to the ABC.

“We really need to take this particular virus and the variant extremely seriously.”

Despite this, state premier Gladys Berijiklian said it is unlikely the city will be put into lockdown.

“[We have] a degree of confidence that what we have asked people to do matches the risk that is there at the moment,” Berijiklian said.

“If that changes, if we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in that we will obviously adjust the health advice and we will respond to that.”