No further exposure sites have been listed in the city by health authorities as at Tuesday morning.

Health officials announced the first case of COVID-19 in the area since April 2020 on Monday, who has been identified as a man living on the outskirts of Tamworth.

Hunter New England Health (HNEH) stated the person was exposed by a friend from Glen Innes and are investigating.

It's understood the person has been in isolation at a property just outside of Tamworth.

Deputy Chief Health Officer for NSW Dr Marianne Gale said on Tuesday that a thorough risk assessment is done for every area that has a case.

"In some areas there may be a case but if they're isolated and haven't actually been out and about, or there's no broader exposure risk to the community, then a return to stay-at-home is not necessarily what we would be recommending," she said.

The HNEH district recorded 18 new cases of COVID-19, including one case in Glen Innes that was included in Tuesday's numbers but was announced on Monday by MP Adam Marshall.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard did not announce a lockdown for Tamworth, though some additional regional areas in the north will go back to stay-at-home rules this evening, including Tweed, Byron Bay and Kempsey.

HNEH has urged the Tamworth community to come forward for testing, as they work around the clock to understand the specifics of the one case the city does have.

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A statement from the authority said increased COVID-19 testing rates in Tamworth would help form a clearer picture on the situation.

An additional testing site has opened in Coledale this week only to help boost swab statistics.

HNEH confirmed a free testing site will operate at the Granny Munroe Park near the Coledale Community Centre from 12pm to 2pm Tuesday to Friday.

Locals can seek a swab at the Plain Street drive-through, the Tamworth hospital, the respiratory clinic or Douglas Hanly Moir pathology.

Meanwhile, NSW Health has listed an additional casual contact site in Glen Innes overnight.

Anyone who visited the Brennan & Smith Optometrist in Glen Innes on Monday, September 13, from 3:45pm to 4pm is considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative test result is received.

NSW Health also announced earlier this week that the Shell service station on the Kamilaroi Highway in Gunnedah is a casual contact exposure site.

Anyone that was at the venue between 6:25pm and 6:30pm on Thursday, September 16, must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

The state recorded 1022 new cases in the Tuesday update and 10 deaths.

The state government also announced a new program for school children that would allow three to form a "bubble" during the school holidays.

Children and teenagers aged 18 years and under will be able to visit each other's homes in groups of three under a NSW "friends bubble".

The new rule, announced on Tuesday, will apply only to households where all adults are fully vaccinated.

From midday today, people aged 18 years and under who live in stay-at-home areas and areas of concern across NSW will be able to create a bubble of three friends and visit each other's homes for play and activity.

The rule is subject to the following conditions:

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