The small remote northwest town of Walgett has been forced into a snap lockdown due to a leak from a regional prison.

A 27-year-old COVID-positive inmate of the Bathurst Correctional Centre was released into the regional community on bail on Monday, where he came into contact with at least a dozen people.

Under routine surveillance, the prisoner was tested on Saturday, but returned the positive result four days later on Wednesday.

Walgett Mayor Ian Woodcock told Deborah Knight the community is “disappointed about what’s happened, and the way it’s happened”.

“You would think that you’d wait for the results … we’ve got to live with it now.”

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