IT'S been six months to the day since the last case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Tamworth.
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Despite challenges the city has faced, thousands of swabs have continued to come back negative since April 17.
Hunter New England Health physician Dr David Durrheim said the region's residents ought to be congratulated.
"We hosted the Warriors, we had that large football game, and so far, we seem to have survived the school holidays and the incredible influx of Sydney-siders into regional NSW," he told the Leader.
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"It's wonderful news, and it does speak to the fact that the people of Tamworth and New England are doing the right thing."
Since the pandemic struck the city in March, almost 19,000 locals have shown up for a coronavirus swab.
Twelve Tamworth residents survived a coronavirus infection, and one woman tragically died from complications related to COVID-19.
The 58-year-old woman was the last local to test positive for the infection on April 17.
While "light at the end of the tunnel" is beginning to seep into everyday life, Dr Durrheim warned the six month mark does not mean the pandemic is over for Tamworth.
"We need to be cautious and not allow six months of good performance lull us into complacency," he said.
Tamworth has had a dramatic drop in testing, and the doctor said current rates are simply unacceptable.
The month of August saw more than 4300 locals get screened for COVID, a number that dipped to just 2851 in September.
Tamworth woman Anna contracted COVID-19 back in March, and said the milestone was definitely a morale boost. Anna's life was disrupted by the virus when she was stuck in home isolation for seven weeks, before her results finally came back negative.
She said she chose to get swabbed as a precaution, after a family member fell ill.
"I am a perfect example of someone who had no symptoms ... if I hadn't been tested, who knows what could have happened," she said.
"The reason we need to be so conscious of it and get tested is that it's not about you, it's about who you would give it to that might not survive it."
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Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
