NSW health has flagged the discovery of COVID-19 fragments in Byron Bay's wastewater in northern New South Wales as a concern because no cases have been reported in the area.
Director of the North Coast Public Health Unit Paul Corbin said the focus was on trying to find the source of the virus.
The sewage treatment plant serves about 19,000 people in Byron Bay, Wategos, Suffolk Park, Sunrise, and Broken Head.
Mr Corbin said the virus fragments were detected in a sample collected on Tuesday as part of the ongoing sewage surveillance program.
"Sewage surveillance is just one of our surveillance mechanisms used to detect COVID but the most important one is people getting tested because that's a direct test that leads to an infected individual," Mr Corbin said.
Additional testing facilities were being set up in Byron Bay today.
"We'll also be poring over our records [of] anyone we may think is a close contact of a case to see if we can understand this result," Mr Corbin said.
He said there would be additional sewage testing.
Border closure impacts
Queensland closed its border to NSW from 1am on Friday.
NSW-Queensland border zone residents can only enter Queensland for essential reasons including healthcare, work, education, essential shopping and caring for vulnerable people, and will be required to show a border declaration.
Motorists are warned the checkpoints at Tugun on the Gold Coast Highway are likely to cause significant delays for northbound motorists.
All road users are urged allow extra travel time while crossing the border.
The Lions road, a popular tourist route from the Kyogle Shire into Queensland is now closed to all traffic.
Kyogle Council General Manager Graham Kennett said it was a necessary measure.
"But all cross border traffic through the Kyogle LGA will be via Mt Lindsay route," Mr Kennett said.
"Of course it's having an impact, visitor numbers are down. But compare that to the impact of an outbreak, it's a necessary evil at this point in time."
Tenterfield mayor Peter Petty said the border bubble rules were workable for residents of the shire.
"We've dealt with this before and I think we learnt a lot out of it." Mr Petty said.
"Hopefully we start off where we finished with the border bubble and the e-cards, down the western side and at a few gates, which was workable and people could still operate and keep going."
