The Port Stephens COVID-19 cluster is growing, with three new cases emerging overnight.
The Goodstart Early Learning childcare centre at Anna Bay is closed today after a toddler, under two-years-old, tested positive to COVID-19.
Tomaree Public School and Tomaree High School, at nearby Salamander Bay, are now shut for deep cleaning after two students were confirmed to have coronavirus.
Those new cases are linked to a man in his 60s who visited the Salamander Bay shopping centre on July 15.
The Tomaree Public School student also played in an under-9s junior AFL match at Don Waring Oval on July 19, between 8.15am and 10:00am.
His Nelson Bay Blue Marlins teammates have now also been forced into 14-days isolation.
Whereas, the opposing Newcastle City Sky Blues team, and other spectators at the match, have been asked to lookout for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested immediately should any respiratory symptoms or fever occur.
Queues are banking up at Tomaree Community Hospital as more people in the Port Stephens area are urged to get tested.
The Raymond Terrace Community Respiratory Clinic is also open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, and there are 12 other testing clinics operating in the Hunter New England region.
NSW recorded 16 new cases of coronavirus yesterday with genetic sequencing revealing all of the state’s clusters are linked to Victoria.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said despite the known sources of the virus, NSW remains on “high alert”.
The next four weeks are the most critical for NSW since the coronavirus lockdown, Ms Berejiklian warned.
The Premier said officials had “a level of anxiety” about the chance of widespread community transmission in the state if rules are not followed.
