NSW has recorded 248 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, amid speculation masks could remain compulsory for shoppers during the busy Christmas season.
There were 80,317 tests undertaken in the 24 hours until 8pm on Tuesday as vaccinations inch closer towards the state's 95 per cent milestone.
NSW Health reports 92 per cent of adults in the state are fully vaccinated and 94.4 per cent have had one jab.
Most teenagers aged 12-15 have had their first jab (81 per cent), while 75.7 per cent of them are fully vaccinated.
An unvaccinated man in his 80s with underlying health conditions from western Sydney died at Nepean Hospital.
A woman in her 60s died at Wollongong Hospital. She had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and had underlying health conditions.
There are 195 COVID patients in hospital, 35 of them are in ICU and 10 are ventilated.
With further restrictions set to ease in three weeks, the government's COVID-19 subcommittee will meet on Thursday to consider whether mask rules will change.
The government's roadmap out of lockdown stipulates restrictions will ease when NSW reaches 95 per cent double vaccination or on 15 December.
The changes mean unvaccinated people can shop freely and masks will only be required on public transport, planes and airports, and for indoor front-of-house hospitality staff.
However, the Daily Telegraph reports some NSW Health bureaucrats are pushing to keep masks mandatory in shops as we go into the peak Christmas season and COVID-19 cases surge in Europe.
