Albury mayor Kevin Mack said regional NSW was not protected from the growing COVID outbreak in the state's capital.

Albury mayor Kevin Mack said regional NSW was not protected from the growing COVID-19 outbreak in the state's capital

"It's getting to the point where (Premier Gladys Berejiklian) has lost control of it and regional NSW is being disadvantaged," he said.

"We've got to salvage something from the train wreck.

"Whilst people are not doing as they're told, as they're clearly not, we're exposed."

His comments came just hours after Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton declared all of NSW an "extreme risk zone" and tightened border restrictions.

Instead of a ring of steel, Albury MP Justin Clancy would like to see harsher penalties given to people breaking the rules.

Mr Clancy highlighted how Victoria's ring of steel had been labelled "ineffective" by Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt.

"It's absolutely imperative we have a strong deterrent to prevent Sydneysiders moving into regional areas and part of that is the penalty," he said.

"I would welcome an increase to penalties."

Mr Clancy said because of the nature of COVID there would always be a risk outbreaks could spread to regional areas through necessary and legal travel.

He said the most recent COVID scares in Jindera and North Albury were related to legitimate travel.

"We continue to have transport which is critical for the functioning of our nation, but those risks in that sense remain," he said.

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But Mr Clancy said the government was mitigating that risk through testing requirements and a strong police presence both in Sydney and concentrated around the city limits.

"The government is highly conscious and highly concerned about the risk, in terms of COVID spreading to regional areas," Mr Clancy said.

"It's something that plays a significant part in their thinking, making sure those risk are minimised."

Benambra MP Bill Tilley supported the NSW government's stance, saying a ring of steel around Sydney was not needed to protect Wodonga.

He said residents in Greater Sydney were already restricted.

"We're talking about a ring of steel but they're doing it already," he said.

But Cr Mack said the government must do more to stop the current COVID outbreak from spreading into regional NSW.

He said geographically setting up a ring of steel around Sydney would be easier than it was around Melbourne.

"We're exposed and if it gets further out into regional NSW, where does it stop?" he said.

"I'm sympathetic to the government's position but they've got to do something different.

"I think locking a border around Sydney would give a lot confidence to other states and to regional NSW that we're protected; at the moment we're not protected."

Across the border, Business Wodonga chief executive Neil Aird said a ring of steel would make certain COVID did not spread.

But he felt the North East was protected by the border closure and Victorian restrictions.

"If it starts to leak out and across the borders again I think it'll have to happen," he said.

"But Victoria is safe with the harder lockdown and border - I'm not sure how Albury feels."

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