Tamworth will enter lockdown at 5pm and the Byron Bay area is on ‘high alert’ as the fight to contain COVID-19 continues in regional NSW. 

Under new restrictions announced this morning, Tamworth will join nearby Armidale and enter a snap seven-day lockdown starting from this evening, after a woman from Newcastle who has since tested positive for the virus visited multiple venues in the city. 

Exposure sites in Tamworth include The Tudor Hotel and a number of other cafes and restaurants. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says the woman did not know she was infectious when she travelled to Tamworth. 

In Byron Bay, a man in his 50s has tested positive for COVID-19 after travelling to the area from Sydney in late July, and investigations are ongoing to establish which venues the man may have visited while infectious. 

Dr Chant told the press at the state’s daily 11am COVID-19 briefing that the man did not record any QR code check-ins during his infectious period, and that he was now being interviewed from hospital to establish his movements over the previous days.

In the 24 hours to midnight last night, NSW recorded 283 new cases of COVID-19 and one death. 

Meanwhile, regional Victoria will exit lockdown at 11.59pm tonight with no new cases recorded outside of Melbourne (which itself saw 11 new cases of coronavirus overnight, all linked to known outbreaks).

In the state’s regional areas, food and hospitality venues will reopen for seated service only, and a density requirement of one person per 4sqm will apply — with a maximum of 100 people per venue.

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