'It would be heartbreaking': Tamworth businesses await lockdown verdict after confirmed case of COVID-19

It's the first reported case of the virus in the Tamworth LGA since April 2020, with Hunter New England Health stating the person was exposed by a friend from Glen Innes.

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall also confirmed a second case of COVID-19 in Glen Innes on Monday, as the LGA reaches the halfway point of its snap seven-day lockdown.

The return of stay-at-home orders would be "heartbreaking" for Tamworth business who have been enjoying their new freedoms for just over a week, Tamworth Business Chamber president Stephanie Cameron said.

"It would be wonderful news if it was a similar situation to the Gunnedah case where the region avoided lockdown," she said.

"It would be heartbreaking because what's the hardest thing about locking down is the short time-frame and the short notice.

"And it's just that yo-yo experience that makes it so difficult to deal with."

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Businesses have bounced back to life over the past week and positivity has returned to the Tamworth community, but the possibility of re-entering lockdown is always weighing on people's minds, she said.

"But I think at the end of the day, people were aware that if we did get a case, we would be sent back into lockdown and a lot of business people have been cautious about opening up," she said.

"There are some business people that haven't opened up again, but what's heartbreaking about potentially locking down again is just that yo-yo experience of locking down, opening up, locking down, opening up."

Health officials have said the case is isolating at a property just outside of Tamworth, but the situation is still under investigation with information on exposure sites or a lockdown decision unknown.

Hunter New England Health have urged the community to come forward for testing, as they work around the clock to understand the specifics of the case.

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