Just over 1200 people in the city were tested on Tuesday, while the entire Western LHD saw 3,700.

Community leaders have one simple message - we're not out of this yet.

"If people don't do the right thing, we will never catch up on this," Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said.

"The good news about testing at the moment is...it's literally about a 10 minute wait for just about anywhere and results are back, really within 24 hours."

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Up to 8pm Tuesday, there were 18 additional cases in Dubbo and 29 across the region. Health authorities warned that Tuesday's lower cases numbers shouldn't be a reassurance.

Mr Saunders said there may be a sense of 'COVID fatigue' and admitted residents have had "a gutful", but there is no excuse for ignoring symptoms or being away from home needlessly.

"People might think if they get one test 'I'm fine', but one test today might be negative, and if you start then feeling crook tomorrow you have to go back tomorrow."

Mayor Stephen Lawrence said many of the positive cases are unlinked and it's unknown how they became infected.

"It's impossible to get a handle on the virus unless we test large segments of the community," Cr Lawrence said.

"To be walking around the community with symptoms, and not get tested, is a selfish and harmful act and we will all pay the consequences of it.

"I'm calling upon everyone in the community to reach out to one, two or more people around them who might not be getting tested, and explain to them why it's so important.

"There are months and months to run on this, and the amount of people that die, will depend on the rate of testing."

Clr Lawrence said the pandemic response shouldn't be about the individual, it's about protecting those in the community, who are vulnerable, as well as easing pressure on health system.

"Already we're seeing a broad range of medical procedures not occurring. In the UK at the height of their recent outbreak, their cancer diagnosis dropped by a third to a half, everyone knows what that means down the track."

Superintendent Danny Sullivan said the controllable aspects of the pandemic included getting tested and following the public health order.

"I would suggest this is the most difficult situation we've ever faced as a community. Our strong call to the public would be to do your part in relation to this problem that we're facing and make sure that you come to the showground and get tested."

Supt Sullivan said abiding by the public health order meant staying at home unless you have a valid reason. While most people are doing the right thing, police are frustrated with those who are not, especially with some of the excuses given.

"A common theme is they're looking at the exceptions to the stay-at home orders to find excuses to get out...another common theme we're seeing, very disappointingly, is when we pull people over for breaching that public health order, they're telling us they're bored."

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