Dubbo residents may be facing a make-or-break weekend as cases of COVID-19 in the city soar.
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The city had 22 active cases on Friday, up 17 from the previous day.
"People are still definitely visiting family and friends, and that is a concern particularly in our more vulnerable communities," he said on Friday morning.
Mr Saunders said residents abiding by the stay-at-home order this weekend could help stem the spread of the virus' highly-infectious Delta variant.
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"If people do make the right decisions and do stay at home and minimise movement, we have a really good chance of stopping this in its tracks," he said.
"If people don't move the virus won't move."
Mr Saunders also told of people travelling between local government areas such as Dubbo and Narromine, not permitted under their lockdowns.
"The idea of a stay-at-home order is to minimise the possible transmission of the virus," he said.
"That means everyone staying put as much as possible apart from those essential tasks you need to do which can include getting food, getting medical treatment, education and essential work."
The MP is asking residents to seek information on the stay-at-home order only from "NSW Health and other reliable media sources" and to share that information with others.
He has also revealed "elective surgery will be put on hold at Dubbo Hospital" as part of preparations for the possible admission of COVID-19 patients from Dubbo and the western region.
"That hasn't happened at this stage but certainly the health district and all of our health professionals are ready, willing and able to be there if that occurs and let's hope it doesn't," Mr Saunders said.
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