Dubbo Regional Council local government area to enter into lockdown at 1pm

A positive Covid-19 case linked to a school about 400km from Sydney means another snap lockdown has been announced in a NSW region.

Another major regional area in NSW has been plunged into a snap lockdown as leaks of Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak continue to spread.

Residents in Dubbo Regional Council, in the state’s central west, will be under stay at home orders from 1pm on Wednesday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the measure at her daily coronavirus press conference, saying two cases had been detected in the region.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the cases were a woman in her 40s and a young child. “Because of those cases we have recommended a lockdown, which the government has put into place,” she said.

The positive cases have forced Dubbo West Public School and Macquarie Anglican Grammar School to close and all students and staff have been ordered to self-isolate.

Dubbo mayor Stephen Lawrence said the community was “shocked but not surprised” the virus had made its way to the town about 390km from the state’s capital.

Dubbo mayor Stephen Lawrence has urged the community to stay calm. Picture: Ryan Young

Cr Lawrence said there had been trace elements of the virus detected in the town’s sewage in the past week, before the new cases were confirmed.

“What’s very concerning in the birth of that positive sewage result is not related to that positive case,” he said.

“We’re definitely dealing with community transmission of Covid-19 in Dubbo.”

He said the council would work with NSW Health to ramp up testing and get the message out to the community to stay calm and follow advice.

Dubbo Showground testing, cars line up for swabs after a Covid case was diagnosed in the city on August 11. Picture: Jennifer Hoar

Earlier, Federal Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders said the infected person was in isolation after becoming symptomatic on Monday and tested positive the next day, but he could not say how the transmission occurred.

“Nine close contacts who have been identified to date, are in isolation, and either have been tested, or will be tested as soon as possible,” he said.

“Investigations and contact tracing is continuing.”

Fragments of Covid-19 were detected in Dubbo sewage samples taken on August 3 and August 5. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

NSW Health officials have shown no hesitancy in locking down local government areas affected by coronavirus as cases continue to surge in Sydney.

The regional town of Tamworth was locked down for one week, starting at 5pm on Monday, after a young woman travelled from Newcastle to Tamworth last Wednesday before the Hunter lockdown began.

She visited multiple sites, including cafes and a vape store in Tamworth.

That town’s snap lockdown followed a situation in Armidale, almost six hours north of Sydney, which was moved into lockdown on Saturday following positive cases.

The latest case in Dubbo has sparked fears a similar move could occur there.

NSW Health on Saturday announced fragments of Covid-19 had been detected in Dubbo sewage samples taken on August 3 and August 5.

NSW on Tuesday recorded 356 new cases. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

While Dubbo residents are urged to limit their movements in the community at this time, widespread Covid-19 testing is critical.

Anyone in Dubbo experiencing even mild cold-like symptoms has been urged to get a Covid-19 test.

NSW’s virus crisis deepened on Tuesday after a record 356 new cases were identified and the number of deaths linked to an outbreak at a Sydney hospital rose to six.