The "final touches" are being added to the NSW roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown and could be revealed shortly, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says.
NSW reported 1480 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, including a western Sydney man in his 20s.
The 11-week lockdown continues for the entire state as authorities battle to contain the spread of the virulent Delta strain.
The government has promised greater freedoms for the fully vaccinated at 70 per cent double-dose coverage and further restored freedoms - including international travel and the relaxation of hotel quarantine - at 80 per cent coverage.
The state has now surpassed 75 per cent first-dose vaccination coverage for eligible residents, while 42 per cent are fully jabbed.
The 70 per cent double-dose milestone is expected in mid-October.
However, Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday declined to say if the freedoms restored to vaccinated people will be the same regardless of where they live.
There are 12 local government areas deemed COVID hotspots, where lockdown conditions are the toughest and residents have an overnight curfew.
While vaccination rates in those areas are outstripping the rest of the Greater Sydney, the premier says she's worried 80 per cent of cases are still in those areas of concern.
"We know from the modelling the worst weeks in terms of case numbers are likely to be in the next week or so ... we need to make sure we don't cause any major adjustment which will see a skyrocketing of cases," Ms Berejiklian said.
"At this stage, we're having conversations about the roadmap ... it's the final touches.
"The roadmap is essentially in good shape, we've made great progress.
"I'd rather this conversation than the alternative, which would be 'why did we allow thousands of people to die'... My job is to protect the community."
Ms Berejiklian also backed the use of facial recognition technology, being piloted in South Australia, for returned international travellers in home quarantine.
She said the quarantine system would "transition" between 70 and 80 per cent vaccination coverage from hotel-based to home-based for the fully jabbed.
Arrivals would rapidly scale up upon 80 per cent coverage, the premier said.
"We have the various technology platforms available but it also does require people to give up a little bit of privacy ... we are considering those issues," she said.
The nine new deaths include a man in his 20s, a man in his 40s, two people in their 60s, two men in their 70s, two men in their 80s and a man in his 90s.
The toll for the current outbreak is now 148.
There are 1136 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals with 194 of them in intensive care beds and 78 on ventilators.
Ms Berejiklian added that a decision on the extension of COVID-19 lockdown in regional NSW would be made by week's end. Some parts of regional NSW are heavily COVID-affected while others are virus-free.
Three out of every five COVID-positive people in western NSW are Indigenous and an Aboriginal man in his 60s from Dubbo was among the new deaths.
Despite Ms Berejiklian's remarks, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said all of Greater Sydney should emerge from lockdown at the same time - including the 12 local government hotspots.
He told 2GB radio that Sydney must avoid a "tale of two cities" post-lockdown.
Burnet Institute modelling shows Greater Sydney's prolonged lockdown has potentially saved more than 5800 lives and prevented 580,000 infections.
From Monday, fully vaccinated NSW residents outside the 12 council areas of concern can meet in groups of up to five people for outdoor picnics.
