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Armidale to lock down
Armidale in regional NSW will go into lockdown from 5pm on Saturday, August 7 2021 after two Covid-19 cases were detected in the area.
NSW Covid-19 Public Health Response Branch executive director Jeremy McAnulty said the cases were a woman who recently travelled to Newcastle and one of her household contacts.
The Armidale Local Government Area will go into lockdown for one week with the same rules as Sydney and Newcastle, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed.
Mr Hazzard said the woman who travelled from Newcastle to Covid-free Armidale had “possibly” broken the rules with investigations ongoing.
Authorities are also concerned about another regional area, with sewage detections of Covid-19 in Dubbo.
Dr McNulty said there were no known cases in Dubbo and urged residents to get tested.
Tamworth to lock down
Tamworth has become the second Northern NSW city to go into lock down due to COVID-19.
NSW Health has confirmed a young woman travelled to Tamworth from Newcastle last Thursday, August 5.
She visited a number of businesses before returning to the Hunter.
New South Wales chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the young woman did not know that she was positive while travelling and the Hunter had not been in lockdown when she began her trip.
“She is now back in Newcastle and is isolating,” Dr Chant said.
People in Tamworth turned out in droves this morning to get tested and, by 9am, police were forced to turn people away to prevent the line encroaching on arterial roads.
Tamworth Mayor Col Murray praised the community’s response.
“How can we be surprised that the good people of Tamworth responded so positively?” he asked.
“But we ask that you understand there will be some delays, there are large numbers of people responding to this lockdown, there will be delays while you are queueing to get tested.”
A new testing clinic at the Australian Equine and Livestock Exhibition Centre will open from midday today.
Both the Riverside and AELEC testing clinics will now operate from 8am to 5pm, seven days a week.
Byron Bay, NSW North Coast LGAs enter seven-day lockdown
Byron Bay and surrounding LGAs have entered a seven-day lockdown from amid fears COVID-19 may be circulating in the regional areas.
The stay-at-home orders come after a man in his 50s – who travelled from locked down Sydney to Byron Bay – tested positive to COVID-19.
The NSW Government on Monday afternoon confirmed the LGAs of Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina would enter lockdown until 12.01am Tuesday, August 17.
The restrictions for the areas are the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, as well as Tamworth, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie. Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.
“Everyone in these areas must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave,” the NSW Government statement read.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said officials did not have any information from the infected man’s QR check-ins, which are compulsory when visiting venues.
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