There are fears NSW will see another spike in local coronavirus infections today after the state recorded 124 new cases yesterday, 48 of whom were infectious while out in the community.
Infectious disease expert, Professor Robert Booy, says the state "is on the precipice" of losing control of the current outbreak if local infections keep growing.
"It's so close. It is still possible to get control over the next week or so," Professor Booy told Today.
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"With so many in the community infectious, different chains of transmission, unrecognised chains of transmission, it's a real challenge."
Professor Booy said while numbers this week have grown, the coming days would indicate if the harder lockdown has had any real effect.
"If there really is an improvement over the weekend, that's great. If not, there will be harder lockdowns, more shops that won't be able to open, more travel that won't be allowed. We will have an even stronger lockdown than we currently have," he said.
Professor Booy said there was data suggesting the Delta variant could have gotten out of control prior to the current NSW outbreak and an earlier lockdown could have made a difference.
"(If we) possibly started three to four days earlier in NSW. I myself didn't recommend it, so they're at fault, I'm at fault, many others are at fault. We could have done better," he said.
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It comes as Queensland has again closed the border with NSW in a bid to keep the Delta strain out of the northern state.
Hundreds of police are now manning checkpoints along the border after traces of coronavirus were found in Byron Bay's sewage systems.
The traces were found in a treatment plant that services about 19,000 people in Byron Bay, Wategos, Suffolk Park, Sunrise, and Broken Head, raising new fears the COVID-19 cluster may have spread outside of Sydney again.
"There are no known cases in this area, which is of great concern," the department said in its latest public health alert overnight.
Authorities have asked everyone in the Byron Bay region to be on high alert for any symptoms, "and if they appear, to immediately come forward for testing and isolate until a negative result is received".
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