NSW has recorded 282 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and one death, two weeks after people began enjoying more freedoms after coming out of lockdown.
Health authorities have predicted cases numbers will surge again this week - two weeks after people started mingling again as restrictions eased.
However, it's a case of so good so far, as there were 12 fewer cases recorded in the 24-hours to 8pm on Monday, from the previous day.
And the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has dropped to 457 - 17 fewer than the previous day.
There are 109 COVID-19 patients now in intensive care (down seven) and 57 people are ventilated.
Modelling commissioned by the state government predicted increasing case numbers in Sydney would put intense pressure on the hospital system in October, however it's now hoped that better-than-expected vaccination rates will avert that scenario.
Premier Dominic Perrottet this week urged caution about the downward trend in case numbers, saying "this pandemic is not over".
NSW Health said the one new death - down from four the previous day - was an unvaccinated man in his 80s from Wollongong, taking the death toll for this outbreak to 503.
Across the state, 71,352 COVID-19 tests were taken.
NSW Health said 93.1 per cent of people 16 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85 per cent of adults are now fully vaccinated.
In the 12-15 year old age group, 78 per cent have had their first dose and 51.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The majority of COVID-19 cases are now being diagnosed in the regions and smaller cities rather than in Sydney, where the Delta outbreak first took hold in June.
With 49 new cases, the Hunter New England Local Health District once again recorded the most number of cases in the state, closely followed by the Murrumbidgee Local; health District, which had 45 - due to its close proximity to Victoria where the virus is raging.
There were 33 new cases on the mid-north coast, followed by 30 in western Sydney.
Meanwhile, a day after all NSW students returned to face-to-face teaching eight more schools are closed for cleaning and contact tracing, after a person in the school community was diagnosed with COVID-19.
NSW Health has issued a list of strict measures that will be implemented when year 12 students sit their HSC next month - including the requirement to wear masks during the exams.
Exams begin on November 9 and NSW Health says a suite of measures will be enforced to ensure COVID-19 protocols are observed.
Students will not be allowed to borrow or share equipment such as pens, pencils or calculators, and shaking hands or hugging other students is also banned.
After the exams students will be required to wipe down their chair, and no mingling will be permitted before or after.
