Tamworth, Werris Creek and Gunnedah COVID-19 exposure sites identified by NSW Health

The update by Hunter New England Health brings to five the number of venues of concern in the Tamworth region.

There are also five potential exposure sites in the Gunnedah region.

Everyone who visited Tamworth Hostel on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 September at any time on those days is a casual contact and must get tested and self-isolate until they test negative to COVID-19.

Anyone who visited Ten Tops Tamworth on Thursday 30 September from 5:35pm to 5:50pm must also get tested immediately.

Anyone who visited Spotlight Tamworth from 4:50pm to 5:20pm on Tuesday 28 September, the Williamsburg from 7pm to 7:15pm on Wednesday 29 September or Tamworth BCF from 4:20pm to 4:45pm on Tuesday 28 September are also considered casual contacts and must follow the same orders

HNEH has not added any additional venues of concern in Gunnedah since last week.

A FURTHER coronavirus exposure site has been confirmed in Gunnedah.

Anyone who was in the pokies area of the Railway Hotel in Gunnedah at these times is considered a casual contact and must get tested, then isolate until a negative result is received.

The team at the Railway Hotel confirmed the venue would be closed today - including for takeaway - as a precaution.

They are awaiting further information from NSW Health.

"We urge our community to get tested and hope we can get on top of this outbreak quickly and get back to normal as soon as possible," a post on social media said.

NSW Health has released several more COVID exposure sites for the Tamworth, Werris Creek and Gunnedah regions.

They have all been listed as casual contact locations, and anyone who attended must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

The sites are Spotlight Tamworth from 4:50 to 5:20pm on Tuesday, September 28, and BCF Tamworth from 4:20 to 4:45pm on the same day.

Lowes Petrol Gunnedah on Abbott Street from 6:10 to 6:25pm on Wednesday, September 29; 6:05 to 6:20pm on Friday, October 1; and from 2:20 to 2:25pm on Saturday, October 2.

Werris Creek Caltex has been named as a contact venue on five different occasions.

People are required to get tested and isolate if they visited the site from 6 to 6:15pm on Thursday, September 23, Friday, September 24, Saturday, September 25, Wednesday, September 29, and Friday, October 1.

More contact venues have been listed for the Tamworth and Gunnedah regions.

Anyone who was at the venues during the dates and times specified must get tested and isolate immediately until a negative result is received. NSW Health has already contacted some contacts.

The venues are Williamsburg Tamworth on Wednesday, September 29 from 7 to 7:15pm; and the Gunnedah Hotel from 8:40 to 8:45pm on Tuesday, September 28 and Cellarbrations on Connadilly Street from 12:20 to 12:25pm on Tuesday, September 28.

A number of contact venues have been listed, and anyone who attended them during the provided times are encouraged to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they appear.

The venues for Tuesday, September 28 are the Duri Fuels Service Station between 5:55pm to 6:15pm; Southgate Shopping Centre in South Tamworth between 6pm and 6:20pm; and Coles Express Tamworth between 11:15pm to 11:35pm.

There are contact venues for Wednesday, September 29 at Coles Express Tamworth from 12:10am to 12:30am; Transwest CBD in Tamworth at 4:20am to 4:40am and 9:45am to 10:05am; and Tobacconist CTC in South Tamworth from 2:15pm to 2:35pm.

Testing efforts have ramped up as a result of the positive cases, and authorities are urging locals in the community to get out in numbers to be checked.

A testing clinic will be set up at the HACC and Disabilities Services Building on Dean Street from 9am until 1pm tomorrow [Monday].

In Gunnedah, a drive-thru testing clinic will be open from 1pm at the Rural Health Centre car park.

Bookings are essential, and can be made from 8am by calling 6741 8000.

TAMWORTH and Gunnedah have both recorded a new case of COVID-19, but no decision has yet been made about lockdown.

Both cases were infectious in the community and contract tracing is underway.

Hunter New England Health have stated the person who tested positive in the country music capital is from West Tamworth.

Any contact venues are yet to be announced.

Cases across the Hunter have jumped again, with 82 fresh infections announced in Sunday's update, as part of the 667 across the state.

Lake Macquarie added 31 cases including seven in Bonnells Bay, three in Windale and two each in Belmont, Charlestown, Gateshead, Teralba, Whitebridge and Warners Bay.

Cases were also recorded in in Belmont South, Blackalls Park, Booragul, Glendale, Redhead, Swansea Heads, Toronto, Wyee and Marmong Point.

Newcastle had nine cases, with Wallsend's two the only multiple for a suburb. Other cases emerged in Adamstown, Bar Beach, Hamilton, Jesmond, Kotara, Mayfield and Shortland.

Cessnock had 15 cases; six in Weston, three each in Cessnock and Kurri Kurri, and additional infections in Bellbird, Heddon Greta and Paxton.

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A quarter of Maitland's 12 cases came from Woodberry, four from South Maitland, two each in Metford and Thornton and the last from Rutherford.

Fullerton Cove and Raymond Terrace had two each in Port Stephens, with Anna Bay and Medowie also adding cases.

Muswellbrook had four cases while Singleton's two were spread across the town itself and Darlington.

Dungog added an East Gresford case, while the health district also added cases in Gunnedah and West Tamworth.

The region's number has bucked a statewide drop, with NSW adding 667 cases and ten deaths.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard described the number as "quite a dramatic drop in the last three weeks" for Sydney, but flagged that other areas remained of concern.

981 COVID cases are in hospital, with 195 requiring intensive care across the state.

Of those who died - six women and four men - two were aged in their 50s, four in their 60s, two in their 70s and two in their 80s.

"Three people were from south western Sydney, three people were from western Sydney, one person was from south eastern Sydney, one person was from the Eastern Suburbs, one person was from the Wollongong area, and one person was from the Nepean Blue Mountains area," NSW Health said.

"Four people were not vaccinated, four people had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and two people had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The two people who had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine both acquired their infections in aged care facilities."

Another 43 cases were added on the Central Coast.

Vaccination rates are creeping close to 90 per cent for first doses, with 88.1 per cent of people over 16 inoculated.

66.5 per cent were fully vaccinated by midnight on Friday, the latest data shows.

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