Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed 882 cases of the virus were diagnosed across the state in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.

In delivering the daily update on Friday morning, Ms Berejiklian also said more than 110,000 tests were carried out and the state recorded another two deaths from COVID-19.

Mandatory vaccination for school staff will be introduced and HSC exams will also be pushed back until November, Ms Berejiklian said, as she and education minister Sarah Mitchell unveiled the state's plan for returning students to the classroom.

In other news

More than 80 per cent of the cases announced on Friday morning are concentrated in greater Sydney, but cases stubbornly continue to emerge in the state's west.

The Western NSW Local Health District [LHD] recorded another 40 cases - mostly in Dubbo, but also in Bourke, Brewarrina, Narromine and Orange - and in the Far West LHD nine more have emerged.

Vigilance is being urged for a raft of regional areas as more virus fragments have been detected in sewage surveillance, despite no known local cases.

"Ongoing sewage surveillance program has recently detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the sewage treatment plants in Tamworth, Merimbula, Picton and Nyngan," NSW Health said.

"Everyone in this area is urged to monitor for the onset of symptoms, and if they appear, to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received."

Face-to-face-learning will return in a staggered form from October 25, and all staff on school campuses are being asked to be vaccinated by November 8. Vaccinations for all school staff across all sectors will be mandatory from that date.

The Premier said the marking period and adjusting of scores in NSW would go to mid-January, with face-to-face learning starting in October with kindergarten and year one students.

Years two, six and 11 will return to the classroom from November 1, and the remaining cohort will be back at the desk from November 9.

Year 12 students will also have full-time access to school campuses and their teachers.

School staff and high school students will be required to wear masks, and it will be encouraged in primary schools.

If any area comes out of lockdown prior to those dates, students will be able to go back to school, Ms Berejiklian said.

It comes after the 1000-mark of daily cases was passed for the first time the previous day and regional NSW, parts of which were hoping to emerge from lockdown on Saturday, was plunged into a two-week extension of stay-at-home orders.

NSW is now due to exit lockdown at midnight on September 10. It's the second time the orders have been extended since they were implemented on August 14 for seven days, and then another week.

The longer lockdown came as a shock to some, particularly after deputy premier John Barilaro spent much of the week raising hopes for eased restrictions on a local government area case-by-case basis.

Entering a four-figure daily case number territory, concerns over the western region and the emergence of COVID-19 fragments in sewage surveillance in a number of regional areas with no known cases dashed those hopes.

"To unlock a half a dozen or a dozen LGAs the risk was too high, and in one way those LGAs are possibly clean because of the restrictions," Mr Barilaro told regional journalists on Thursday.

The interstate situation

Speaking about the Riverina and border region specifically, he said the outbreak in Victoria, the cluster in Shepparton and recent exposure sites in Temora all played a role in the decision.

A COVID-19 case has also since emerged in a aged care facility worker in Echuca, on the Victorian border with the southern Riverina, as the southern state tallies another 79 cases.

The extension was a disappointing decision but the right one, Wagga's leaders admitted on Thursday.

Mayor Greg Conkey believed it was "unfortunately" the right decision, and said when meeting with welfare groups on Wednesday night "the view around the table is it's a matter of when COVID comes to the city".

The region's sporting codes are reshuffling plans for grand finals, with Riverina and Farrer leagues' seasons initially appearing over after the announcement.

However, the chances of AFL Riverina's seasons continuing have been given a 'glimmer of hope' after the governing body's board confirmed they will meet on Monday to assess the implications of the extension to NSW's regional lockdown.

Group Nine have lost both stage one and stage two of their original proposal to clubs for a completion of the season but will wait on further feedback before trying to plot a path forward.

Those who are fully vaccinated will have some perks come mid-next month.

From September 13, up to five fully vaccinated adults can gather outdoors, but only those outside of western Sydney's local government areas of concern. Children - not yet vaccinated - can be included in these groups of five.

Bookings to vaccinate children aged 12 to 15 will also open on September 13, the prime minister said in Canberra on Friday.

The federal government's decision will be briefed to state and territory leaders at the national cabinet meeting.

Under the current public health order's COVID-19 restrictions on Wagga, people can leave their homes for exercise or recreation outdoors in groups of no more than two.

More on the pandemic

Lockdown has seen large numbers of people take to Wagga's pathways, cycling tracks and parks to get some fresh air, clear their heads to maintain their fitness under stay-at-home orders.

"I've definitely noticed a lot of people out on the levee, the lake has been pretty packed along the walkway and also along Red Hill Road on the push bike path right along its length," In Motion Fitness director Mick Wainwright said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: