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Members of a Tamil family in a high-profile battle to remain in Australia have been granted 12-month bridging visas, allowing them to remain in the country.

Visas were granted to three of the four members of the Murugappan family on Thursday by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

However, while visas were given to parents Priya and Nades and daughter Kopika, a similar visa was not granted to the family's youngest daughter Tharnicaa.

That decision has meant the family would not be able to return to their former home of Biloela in Queensland, and will have to remain in community detention in Perth.

The visa decision comes a week after the family were granted a reprieve in their fight to remain in Australia after a three-month bridging visa was granted, which had allowed them to stay in the country until just before Christmas.

The family have been living in Perth after years of detention, following the medical evacuation of Tharnicca from Christmas Island earlier this year due to a blood infection.

Supporters of the family have said they were surprised by the decision to grant the visa extension to three of the four family members.

Biloela resident and family friend Angela Fredericks said the withholding of a visa for Tharnicaa prevented the return to their former hometown.

"Australian law gives minister Hawke the power to bring this sorry saga to a close with the stroke of a pen, by issuing the same visa to four-year-old Tharni he has granted to her mum, dad and sister," she said in a statement.

"Just like her sister Kopika, Tharnicaa was born in Queensland, and that's where she belongs."

© AAP 2021

NSW has reported 1063 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and six deaths as the state's outbreak surpasses 50,000 cases.

Most of NSW is locked down and police are cracking down on compliance measures as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.

Of the six deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, four were women and two were men. One death was a woman in her 90s at St Mary's Villa Aged Care Facility in Dubbo.

It takes the toll for the current outbreak to 266, while the number of cases for the outbreak now sits at 50,123.

There are 1244 COVID-19 patients in NSW in hospital, with 233 in intensive care and 112 on ventilators.

Meanwhile, two dozen people at a southwest Sydney hospital have contracted COVID-19 in a week - the second major outbreak at the facility outbreak in recent months.

The exposures occurred across six wards at Liverpool Hospital, a South Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday evening.

Those infected include 13 patients and two staff members in the orthopaedics ward, five patients in the geriatrics ward, three patients and one staff member in the neurology ward, two patients and one staff member in the renal ward, one patient in the cardiothoracic ward and an intensive care nurse.

All staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 are fully vaccinated, the spokesperson said.

The previous outbreak, sparked when a nurse unknowingly worked while infectious in late July, left 12 people dead.

Government modelling suggests daily COVID-19 infections may have already hit a high in NSW, but hospitalisations are still expected to peak in October when the system will be put under unprecedented stress.

NSW Health has launched a recruitment campaign to boost its pandemic response workforce, aiming to attract health professionals who may have retired, or are taking a break from work or are working in another sector.

Lismore and Albury were released from stay-at-home orders at midnight after no new cases were reported in the regions since they were locked down on September 16.

Several local council areas in the state's west were freed overnight too, with Gilgandra and Brewarrina now at least 14 days virus-free.

Restrictions will also ease in Narromine from Saturday provided the town has no cases or sewage detections before then.

The Glen Innes and Orange local government areas will also exit lockdown from Friday.

© AAP 2021

NSW is just weeks away from "effectively cutting loose" after almost three months in COVID-19 lockdown, the health minister says.

But everyone needs to remain disciplined until 70 per cent double-dose vaccination coverage is reached.

NSW reported 1063 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and six deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday as the state's Delta outbreak surpasses 50,000 infections.

Of the six deaths, one person was in their 50s, one in their 60s, one in their 70s, two in their 80s and one in their 90s.

It takes the toll for the current outbreak to 266, while the number of cases since June 16 has surpassed 50,000.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday acknowledged the pandemic had been "gruelling" for everyone and reiterated hospitalisations in NSW would not peak until October.

But as vaccination coverage among those 16 and over continues to rise, the end of lockdown is drawing near.

Once 70 per cent double-dose coverage is reached, fully vaccinated NSW residents can again visit the homes of others and attend hospitality venues, retail outlets, gyms and sport matches.

These freedoms may be restored as soon as October 11, the Monday after the 70 per cent mark is likely to be reached.

Additional freedoms - including international travel - will be restored at 80 per cent double-dose coverage.

More than 83 per cent of NSW residents 16 and over have had at least one jab, and 55.46 per cent are fully vaccinated.

"We are getting there, it's a really positive time," Mr Hazzard said.

"We're moving towards Christmas and it looks like we'll all be able to effectively cut loose - there'll be some restrictions but we'll be able to have a much better life in the coming weeks."

There are currently 1244 COVID-19 patients in hospital in NSW, with 233 in intensive care units and 112 on ventilators.

Meanwhile, two dozen people have contracted COVID-19 in the second major outbreak at Liverpool Hospital in southwest Sydney, with six wards affected.

Those infected include 13 patients and two staff members in the orthopaedics ward, five patients in the geriatrics ward, three patients and one staff member in the neurology ward, two patients and one staff member in the renal ward, one patient in the cardiothoracic ward as well as an intensive care nurse.

All hospital staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 are fully vaccinated and Mr Hazzard says the cause of the new outbreak remains unclear.

The previous outbreak, sparked when a nurse unknowingly worked while infectious in late July, left 12 people dead.

NSW Health has launched a recruitment campaign to boost its pandemic response workforce, aiming to attract health professionals who may have retired, are taking a break from work or are now working elsewhere.

Lismore and Albury were released from stay-at-home orders at midnight after no new cases were reported in the regions since they were locked down on September 16.

Several local council areas in the state's west were freed overnight too, with Gilgandra and Brewarrina now at least 14 days virus-free.

Restrictions will also ease in Narromine from Saturday provided the town has no cases or sewage detections before then.

The Glen Innes and Orange local government areas will also exit lockdown from Friday, but Hilltops will remain locked down.

Meanwhile, a NSW Parliament staff member has tested positive for COVID.

Parliament's executive director of corporate services Kelly McFadyen sent an email to MPs on Thursday informing them of the case.

The person was in parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday last week when the Legislative Council tried to sit and tested negative to the Rapid Antigen Testing on those days.

"Advice this morning from the parliament's occupational hygienists ... is that there is extremely low risk to the parliamentary community and no testing or isolation is required for those who came into contact with the staff member last week," she said.

© AAP 2021