UPDATE 16/4: Port Macquarie has now been removed as an area for increased testing and surveillance.
ORIGINAL STORY 7/4:
The Public Health Unit has determined that Byron Bay and Port Macquarie are areas of interest with regards to COVID-19.
While community transmission has not yet been confirmed, there are some cases with an unidentified link to a likely source of transmission and/or the locality is popular with higher risk groups such as backpackers.
To assist in improving identification of local transmission pathways, GPs and private pathologists are encouraged to lower the threshold for testing. Consider testing people in these localities with respiratory symptoms, as per the NSW Health case definition described here.
The NSW Health Byron Bay and Port Macquarie COVID-19 clinics will also lower the testing threshold.
This new advice complements efforts to encourage travellers attending youth hostels to get tested. More information is available here.