A man has been jailed for breaching public health orders by travelling from Sydney to Armidale in northern NSW.

Police say the 31-year-old man left his home in Cabramatta on Sunday, and used public transport to travel to the New England region via Newcastle.

He was arrested at Armidale Railway Station later that day.

He was sentenced to two months in prison after a hearing in the Armidale Local Court on Monday.

He is not the first person to face jail for breaching public health orders.

Armidale was placed in lockdown a week earlier than the rest of regional NSW, after a woman returned to the area from Newcastle and tested positive to COVID-19.

Permits introduced

New England police Chief Inspector David Cooper said the man was arrested before Operation Stay Home had commenced.

"That operation is very clear in its intent," he said.

The NSW government has previously rejected calls to introduce a so-called "ring of steel" to physically prevent Sydneysiders from travelling to regional areas.

New rules came into effect this week which state anyone leaving Greater Sydney must carry a permit.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there had been cases of people using the rail network in an attempt to avoid police scrutiny on their movements.

"Whether it's our major transport hubs or whether it's on the actual trains themselves, police are doing all of those things," she said.

"If there's anything further we need to do about that we will."

Armidale Mayor Ian Tiley said it was critical that as much as possible was done to protect the community at such a difficult time.

"I think it's really important that everybody supports the police in what they're doing," he said.

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