THE worst day yet - 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.
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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.
"Hunter has continued to have additional cases," Ms Berejiklian said.
Hopes have faded quickly that Newcastle's lockdown could be constrained to a single week.
A lockdown extension is firming after another six cases of coronavirus in Hunter New England were announced taking the region's cluster to 26.
Three cases remain under investigation while one has been linked to last week's Maitland Christian School closure and two to the University of Newcastle cluster.
The Hunter's list of exposure sites continues to grow, even as some proprietors raise concerns that their businesses "likely won't survive".
Byron Bay and parts of the Northern Rivers were also plunged into lockdown yesterday joining communities in Armidale and Tamworth.
The Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire local government areas went into lockdown from 6pm.
Tamworth entered 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 (August 10).
"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?"