The region, along with Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine and Warren, was plunged into lockdown at 7pm on Wednesday night, after it was discovered someone with COVID-19 had been infectious in the community.

The 27-year-old man was tested at Bathurst Correctional Centre as part of mandatory screening for new inmates on Saturday, and released on bail on Monday before his test result had come back.

Authorities had to wait until Wednesday for the positive result, meaning the community had been exposed for two days.

Walgett Shire Council mayor Ian Woodcock said this is particularly worrying given the region's high Indigenous population, and the infectiousness of the coronavirus delta strain, which has been described as more infectious than chicken pox.

"It is quite a concern I think because once it [the delta strain] seems to start in most places it just rages," he said.

"I just hope that's not going to be the case in Walgett and in our Indigenous community, because they can be very vulnerable people.

"And it's just one of those things that you just hope they [health authorities] can get on top of it straight away without any great dramas."

One way Western NSW Health is hoping to get on top of it is by getting the community vaccinated as soon as possible. Around 3000 Pfizer and AstraZenaca vaccines are set to arrive Friday morning.

They were originally scheduled to make their way to Walgett last week, but were among the 40,000 jabs that had been redirected to Sydney to immunise HSC students as part of a state government plan which has spectacularly backfired following the regional NSW breakout.

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The doses are being returned to rural parts of the state as a result of the federal government providing an additional 180,000 Pfizer vaccines to Sydney.

"What did happen is they were supposed to have the Pfizer here last week, and because of the problem in Sydney with the kids with their exams, they took it all back down there," he said.

"Because it was supposed to be throughout this western area, they were advertising on the radio for people to ring up and make their appointments to get their jabs, and then they had to ring them and tell them they couldn't do it this week."

The incident that led to the lockdown is something Cr Woodcock admitted was frustrating for the community.

He said something had gone wrong to allow that to happen, and he just hopes it's ultimately not too costly.

"I think something has gone wrong somewhere, because he got tested when he got there and they've let him out," he said.

"The powers that be will have to work that out, but it is rather disappointing."

The lockdown came as a shock to locals who had been far removed from the pandemic for a long time.

The quick turnaround from the discovery of the positive case to the lockdown coming into effect was also something that caught businesses off guard, according to the mayor.

"I think it came as a bit of a shock to them because all of a sudden they ring up yesterday [Wednesday] afternoon and say you're going into lockdown as of 7 o'clock," he said.

"And they couldn't understand it, but it's something that happened and they've just got to wear it."

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