The Mayor of Byron Shire has said he wants to ban all reality shows from the region after a crew member on I’m a Celebrity tested positive to Covid, sending the entire area into a snap seven-day lockdown.

Michael Lyon is considering withdrawing council approval for the new season of Love Island Australia, telling The Daily Telegraph production is ‘unlikely’ to proceed.

He said TV production companies can’t be trusted to do the right thing, so the most sensible option is to ban them altogether.

‘It is so devastating to be in lockdown again and it is clear the “honour” system relied on by the state government is deeply flawed,’ Mr Lyon said. 

‘It is worth noting people coming here for work don’t actually have to show a negative Covid test, this was thankfully part of the filming protocol that allowed this early detection.’

‘Perhaps our calls for a tightening of restrictions will now finally be heeded.’

He went on to say his ‘local community is once again paying the price for the lack of consideration as to how Covid can spread to the regions’.

It comes after Mr Lyon accused production company ITV Studios – which produces both Love Island and I’m a Celebrity – of bringing ‘Covid to the region’ in a searing Facebook post on Wednesday, and said he was trying to ‘rescind council approval’.

He said: ‘I am looking into our options this morning to rescind council approval for the Love Island production, from the same studios that brought I’m a Celebrity – and Covid – to the region.’

‘As part of that approval issued recently, which allows them to film for longer than 30 days in Federal, I insisted on a 14-day isolation period whereby any cast or crew coming from an area with cases would not come into contact with people from our region.

‘It is clear that this is not possible to implement given what has happened in the last few days. Council approval was only one part of the process, it hasn’t yet had Ministerial approval so I’d say it is unlikely to proceed.

‘It is so devastating to be in lockdown again and it is clear the “honour” system relied on by the State Government is deeply flawed. It is worth noting that people coming here for work don’t actually have to show a negative COVID test; this was thankfully part of the filming protocol that allowed this early detection. Perhaps our calls for a tightening of restrictions will now finally be heeded.’

The Byron and Tweed shires were thrown into a snap lockdown on Tuesday afternoon after a case was recorded in the area.

The person was later identified as a fully-vaccinated female crew member on Channel 10’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

The crew member is now facing criminal charges for breaching conditions of her work permit and for failing to check into venues using QR codes.

The 31-year-old had a permit to travel to the area for work-related purposes only.

But police say she breached the conditions of her permit when she went to pubs and shops in Byron Bay and Kingscliff over the weekend.

While I’m a Celebrity has wrapped filming, the same ITV Studios crew was scheduled to begin work on Love Island next week – which now looks unlikely to happen.