As expected after weekend test results, NSW's new COVID cases have shot upwards again with 1022 new cases reported in the 24 hours overnight.
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A further 10 people died overnight, eight men and two women, all from Sydney. That takes the total of fatalities in this outbreak across NSW to 255.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced three northern NSW regions - the Tweed, Byron Bay and Kempsey - would into lockdown for a week from 5pm.
There were, he said, "some cases" in each of the three LGAs.
"Unfortunately, we've had some cases in the northern part of the state in Tweed and Byron Bay and Kempsey," Mr Hazzard said,
"And so there will be lockdown arrangements enter into from 5pm this afternoon in each of those local government areas."
He also made mention of the newly-introduced "friends bubble" for under-18s.
It allows three people under-18 to meet up as they all live within the same local government area or within five kilometres of home.
There are currently 1,266 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 244 people in intensive care, 118 of whom require ventilation.
The breakdown of the 1,022 locally acquired cases is:
- 368 are from South Western Sydney
- 226 are from Western Sydney
- 105 are from South Eastern Sydney
- 102 are from Sydney
- 50 are from Illawarra Shoalhaven
- 44 are from Nepean Blue Mountains
- 40 are from Northern Sydney
- 27 are from Central Coast
- 18 are from Hunter New England
- nine are from Southern NSW
- seven are from Western NSW
- six are from Far West
- five are from Murrumbidgee
- one is from Northern NSW
- five are in correctional settings
- and nine cases are yet to be assigned.
NSW Health's ongoing sewage surveillance program has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 in sewage samples from Ballina and Wardell in northern NSW.
More than 120,000 tests were conducted across the state yesterday.