The calls from Labor Leader Jodi McKay come after NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant said testing in the state needed to increase to make sure cases of community transmission were being picked up.

On Tuesday, at a press conference with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Dr Chant said she would be asking for more tests to be done by GPs and in hotspots like Bondi, as the state's virus infections with an unknown source were increasing.

At 8pm on March 31, 275 people in NSW had contracted COVID-19 via community transmission, meaning authorities could not trace where they got it from.

"My view is that is you have symptoms, you should be tested," Ms McKay said.

"We are seeing a reduction in the number of cases coming in from overseas, but we are seeing an increase in the number of community transmissions.

Read more: Hospitals enforce stricter visitation rules as Illawarra COVID-19 cases rise - live updates

"If you're not testing everyone that has symptoms, you're not picking up what's going on in the community."

Previously, NSW Health criteria stipulated that patients with symptoms must meet criteria including being a recent international traveller, a close contact of a confirmed case, a cruise ship passenger who has travelled in the past 14 days, a healthcare worker, an aged care worker.

However, on Wednesday this was expanded to recommend testing of patients suspected to have COVID-19 who live in communities with local transmission, have been referred by their GP or public health unit to a COVID-19 clinic or whose clinician, after taking a full history, has reason to suspect that the patient may have COVID-19.

Ms McKay said extra testing also needed to be extended to regional areas to ensure all cases were being discovered.

"When the Ruby Princess came into Sydney Harbour, those cases spread right into NSW," she said.

"That took COVID-19 out of Sydney and into the rest of NSW - including into the Shoalhaven areas, as far as Bega."

In the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, there have been 4911 tests carried out, and the region is ranked sixth out of 15 health regions for the rate of testing per 100,000 residents. It is ranked eighth according to the number of positive cases (95 at last count).

Ms McKay also said people should not fear getting tested.

"People shouldn't feel ashamed, or that they will be labeled or blamed. If you've got the symptoms be brave, pick up the phone, call your doctor and seek a test."

"You either get a clean bill of health or you get the treatment you need. That can get you back on your feet faster, and help authorities stop the spread."

Illawarra MP and Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park said the World Health Organisation was advising countries to test widely.

"We know that around the world large-scale testing works," he said.

"It helps lock down the outbreak, and as we see in countries like South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong it helps flatten the curve."

He said more pop-up clinics, drive-throughs, and home visits were needed to allow for more testing.

"Additionally, with a quarter of COVID-19 cases outside of Sydney, the Berejiklian Government needs to ramp up testing in rural and regional NSW. This isn't just a Sydney problem and the Berejiklian Government needs to increase support to hospitals and clinics around the State.'

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