THE Walgett Sporting Club says tight restrictions, including limited trading hours, will remain in place for the foreseeable future in response to a reported Public Health Breach at the Club on Saturday 17 July.

After receiving reports via social media, an investigation was carried out by Police from Central North Police District, resulting in the Sporting Club receiving two $5000 PINs (Public Infringement Notices) for failing to comply with sections of the Public Health Act.

The breaches occurred when a crowd of post-rugby revelers converged on the Club late in the evening, with a number of patrons failing to sign in using the Service NSW code and the crowd congregating on an outdoor balcony which exceeded the capacity limits under the current Public Health Order.

According to Club Manager Natalie Thurston, the PINs were not related to mask wearing or dancing, contrary to social media reports.

"You don't have to wear a mask outside and you can actually dance outside," Mrs Thurston said.

"There was a capacity issue with too many people on the balcony, and it did break the one person per four square metres rule."

"Staff did go out and ask that people move and after the third request they actually closed the bar down," she said. "I really don't know what else you're meant to do."

"Unfortunately, the drunker they are the harder it is to control," she said.

*The Sporting Club balcony is a large outdoor space but a recent crowd of customers refused to adhere to the mandatory social distancing rules.

Having enough staff to constantly supervise the sign-in process has also been a challenge for the Club and the new rules are designed to alleviate this pressure.

"We've tightened restrictions right up just so we can control who's coming in and out," Mrs Thurston said.

"We can't afford to have a staff member on the door at all times so the doors now close at 9.30pm and the bar closes at 10pm."

Other rules include a minimum one month suspension for any person found to have entered without properly signing in or for failing to wear a mask after one warning.

The Club has also put a hold on bookings for private functions exceeding twenty people until further notice.

As well as being an inconvenience to the wider community the extra rules will have an impact on the Club's earning capacity but Mrs Thurston says the Board and Management had no hesitation in adopting the changes.

"These are additional self-imposed restrictions on our trading conditions so we don't put our community in danger," she said.