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Newcastle looks set to land State of Origin III with ARL commission chairman Peter V'landys saying he wants to reward rugby league fans in the area.

A decision will be made on Friday afternoon on where to play the final game of the Origin series, which is certain to be moved from Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The clash is scheduled for July 14, just five days after the current COVID-19 lockdown ends in greater Sydney, which would mean the game's showpiece event would be staged with no crowd.

In Newcastle, crowds are so far capped at 50 per cent capacity, and it ensures at least one match of the three-game series is held in NSW after the first two were played in Queensland.

On Friday morning, V'landys gave the strongest suggestion yet that Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium would host its first Origin match.

"We are realistic, I don't think we will be able to have it at Stadium Australia," V'landys told 2GB.

"It is only four or five days after the lockdown and there is always a lag between opening everything up and the lockdown, so I would be surprised if Stadium Australia would be allowed to have a crowd.

"We are looking at various options. We would like to keep it in NSW and Newcastle is certainly one of the areas we are looking at.

"We have had some pretty positive discussions with government and hopefully we will be able to make a decision this afternoon."

The Origin opener was relocated from Melbourne to the Queensland regional centre of Townsville and that success will be a huge confidence boost for the NRL to take a game to Newcastle.

Melbourne and Queensland are also understood to have made a play for game three but the preferred location would be in NSW to fulfil a contract with the state government, though V'landys didn't rule anything out.

"Money talks and we need to maximise our returns," he said.

"We are going through COVID and it puts a strain on our finances. We have a lot of new expenses in order to keep the competition going so anywhere we can get revenue we must look at it and be responsible.

"We have had a variety of other people wishing to have the game - interstate organisations and governments - so we are looking at every option but our aim is to repay the loyalty of our Newcastle fans.

"It is a rugby league heartland and if we can get things ticked off on by the NSW government, I am pretty confident that we will have it at Newcastle.

"Three in Queensland would be a first but at this stage we want to keep it in NSW."

© AAP 2021

KEY POINTS FROM NATIONAL CABINET

* Australia will reduce international arrivals by 50 per cent due to the risk of the Delta variant of COVID-19

* National cabinet has agreed to a four-phase plan to move away from lockdowns and restrictions once enough of the population is vaccinated

* The aim is to offer a vaccination to every Australian aged 16 and over by the end of the year

* The ultimate goal is to get to a position where COVID-19 is managed as an infectious disease like any other in the community

FIRST PHASE

* International intake will be temporarily reduced by 50 per cent by July 14

* Commonwealth will facilitate more flights to repatriate Australians, who will quarantine at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory

* Lockdowns to be used as a last resort

* Trials of alternative quarantine options including home quarantine for returning vaccinated travellers

* Hotel quarantine to face a second review to ensure health standards are being upheld

SECOND PHASE

* Kicks in once the national vaccination rate reaches a certain percentage of the population (to be determined by experts over the next month)

* Restrictions eased on vaccinated residents and lockdowns only used in extreme circumstances

* Inbound passenger caps restored to previous levels for unvaccinated travellers and more generous arrangements introduced for vaccinated travellers

* Possible capped entry of students and economic visa holders

* Introduction of some alternative quarantine arrangements

* Rollout of vaccine booster shots

THIRD PHASE

* COVID-19 will be managed like any other infectious disease, with hospitalisation and fatality rates similar to the flu or better

* No lockdowns, booster shots rolled out widely, no restrictions on vaccinated people and possible travel bubbles with other countries

FOURTH PHASE

* Uncapped arrivals of vaccinated people with no quarantine, and testing for unvaccinated travellers but no quarantine if negative

© AAP 2021

The next few days in NSW are "critical" as the state continues to record new COVID-19 cases in people who have been infectious in the community.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday said she was relieved local case numbers had not significantly spiked in recent days, but authorities wanted to see a rise in the proportion of new cases already in isolation.

NSW recorded 31 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 to 8pm on Thursday, the highest daily number in the state since the pandemic's first wave in early 2020.

The new case numbers take the tally to 226 since June 16.

Fifteen of the cases were in the community for all or part of their infectious period, while 11 were in isolation for the entire time.

Five of the newly reported cases remain under investigation.

Ms Berejiklian said the current numbers reflected the days leading up to the announcement last Saturday of the 14-day lockdown of Greater Sydney and surrounds.

"I will say that the next few days are critical," she told reporters.

"Come early next week we do want to see that tide turned."

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant refused to be drawn on whether she would advise that the lockdown, due to end next Friday, be extended.

Dr Chant said she would be looking closely at the number of new cases which were in isolation and at unlinked chains of transmission.

Some 27 of the new cases are linked to previously confirmed cases.

Eight of the new cases are associated with a 24-year-old student nurse who worked up to five days while infectious with COVID-19.

The cluster around the nurse now tallies 10, including five healthcare or aged care workers. Four of them worked while infectious, while one did not.

Almost 400 staff and patients deemed close contacts are in isolation.

NSW Health on Friday afternoon also issued a new close contact alert for Coles at Bondi Junction's Eastgate Shopping Centre.

Anyone at the supermarket between 2pm and 7pm on Tuesday and between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday must get tested and isolate for 14 days.

Shoppers at certain times last Saturday will be casual contacts.

The alert follows earlier warnings for potential exposure sites including the T2 domestic terminal at Sydney Airport, the Des Renford Swimming Pool at Maroubra in Sydney's east and Club Marconi at Bossley Park in the west.

The virus has been spreading more in retail settings amid lockdown than in hospitality venues, beauticians and hairdressers, Dr Chant said.

"Please don't go out and about shopping in retail if you've got any symptoms," she said.

A record 73,602 people were tested in the 24-hour reporting period.

The record for the daily number of vaccines administered by NSW Health was also broken, with 21,289 people jabbed in the 24-hour period.

The record comes as pharmacies plead to be more involved in NSW's vaccine rollout, having been enlisted on Thursday to administer jabs.

A trial involving 22 pharmacies in regional NSW administering AstraZeneca from mid-July is not enough, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia said.

The limited trial "still misses the mark", NSW branch president Chelsea Felkai said, and the full pharmacist workforce should be deployed.

"We desperately need a patient-centric approach that puts the community first, but it is apparent that the NSW government's approach to the rollout does not support this," Ms Felkai said in a statement.

© AAP 2021