Hunter New England Health district recorded 13 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, NSW Health says.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian made no declaration on whether lockdown would continue, saying the health advice would determine what came next.

"In relation to Hunter there has been an increase in cases," she said.

"We'll rely on Dr Chant's advice for that [lockdown decision]."

356 cases of community transmission have been recorded in NSW, with "around a third of them" having some exposure in the community during that time.

Hunter New England Health said the region's cases were all from Newcastle or Lake Macquarie.

Ten live in the Newcastle local government area, with three from Lake Macquarie.

Three of the cases are under investigation, Hunter New England Health said.

No further details were immediately available.

The fresh cases take the region's total outbreak to 39 active cases.

The state also recorded four deaths in the past 24 hours.

A man in his 80s, a woman in her 80s and a man in his 70s have added to the death toll from the virus. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said none of the three were vaccinated.

A fourth death was a man who had returned from overseas, but Ms Berejiklian said his tragic demise was not linked to the Delta outbreak.

The toll takes the number of deaths associated with the Liverpool hospital outbreak to six.

More than 95,000 tests were carried out in the 24-hour period.

Real estate loopholes and other permissions for Sydneysiders to travel into the regions amid COVID lockdown could be tightened, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has foreshadowed.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said there were a number of exposure sites but no further cases on the north coast, where Byron Bay had gone into lockdown after a man and his two children tested positive.

"Again, thank you to the Newcastle community for coming out for testing in such big numbers," Dr Chant said.

"When you are dealing with a massive number [of exposure sites] there is occasionally a miscommunication."

IN THE NEWS:

Hopes have faded quickly that Newcastle's lockdown could be constrained to a single week.

The Hunter's list of exposure sites continues to grow, even as some proprietors raise concerns that their businesses "likely won't survive".

Worse, the region's cases have led to Tamworth entering lockdown after a woman travelled to the New England centre while unknowingly infectious.

The woman confirmed she had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and that she was in Tamworth on Thursday morning, sparking NSW Health to release five exposure sites in the city.

She had come to visit family prior to Newcastle's lockdown announcement at 11am on Thursday.

No additional cases have been added in Armidale or Tamworth, Ms Berejiklian announced on Tuesday.

"No, I did not break any rules and did the right thing when they announced Newcastle's lockdown and immediately got tested and began isolating," the woman said on Monday.

"I've been relocated in the middle of the night to better isolate, I've spent hours on the phone with NSW Health, my friends are in hospital and I'm very unwell," she said in her statement.

"I was not in lockdown, I was not a close contact and I had no symptoms on Thursday. There was nothing to stop me from visiting my family and friends in Tamworth. I am a Tamworth girl. What happened to country hospitality? What happened to looking after your neighbour?"

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: