Port Macquarie is on high alert after a COVID-19 case flew into the region to look at property, the Mayor says.
More than 20 venues of concern have been listed in the Mid North Coast town after two cases were acquired via close contact with an infectious person from Sydney.
The case flew into the region on September 16.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Mayor Peta Pinson said the infected person was in the region to look at residential property.
"This traveller came to see some property, so I've got questions to ask how someone COVID-infected actually was able to get on a plane and travel to our region," she said.
"We're probably going to see greater numbers as a result of the two we already have."
Fear of cases to come
Cr Pinson believes the two cases are close contacts of the traveller from Sydney.
"We believe that the visitor from Sydney stayed at the Ki-ea Apartments and has gone to Bill's Fishhouse and had quite a number of hours spent there, and also visited a property development in the area," she said.
"Close contacts that caught COVID from this visitor are locals and they've proceeded to also go about business throughout Port Macquarie, visiting a number of stores and as a result now we may have more infections."
There have been long queues on Monday at the COVID testing site set up the Regional Sports Stadium in Port Macquarie.
Dozens of venues listed
Two venues, including a construction site near the CBD, have been listed as close contact venues.
A popular fruit and vegetable shop is one of more than 20 casual contact venues.
Owner Ken Little said he and eight staff were isolating.
"We got a notification last night at nine o'clock," he said.
"We had to work out who was working at that time and tell them they can't come to work, and go get a COVID test, like myself.
"We've got such as small area, we've always said 'No mask, no entry', which might turn up in our favour."
Anyone who attended a close contact venue must get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Anyone who was at one of the casual contact venues must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
Kempsey lockdown to end
In the meantime, the adjoining Kempsey Shire Council area is due to come out of a seven-day lockdown on Tuesday.
"If we don't have any exposure sites my advice would be to the health minister and to the LHD that we're very much on our way to a very strong vaccination rate in Kempsey," Oxley MP Melinda Pavey said.
The MidCoast local government area seems to be clear of a lockdown despite new cases at Possum Brush and Darawank late last week.
"The second case has returned a positive whilst in isolation and the advice I've received is no community transmission, no risk to the community," Myall Lakes MP Stephen Bromhead said.
"We all know that there's 100 per cent transmission within households, so this is expected — all that family were taken to hotel quarantine."
