Recreation rules will be relaxed in Sydney's hardest hit suburbs as NSW reports 1083 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked people in the 12 LGAs of concern who will now enjoy extra freedoms a week after they were granted to the rest of the state.
"They have led the way in our vaccination rates, they have shown us the way, and what it means to be resilient and strong," the premier said.
Fully vaccinated adults in those government areas will from Monday be able to exercise outdoors with no time limits and gather in groups of five for outdoor recreation within five kilometres from home.
Kids under the age of 12 are not included in those numbers.
Authorised worker conditions and travel permit requirements will remain in place in the LGAs of concern.
The premier said the state is still in a "precarious" situation and case numbers will increase when it reopened at the 70 per cent double vaccination target.
"We are anticipating our worst weeks in ICU and hospitals will be in Ocotber," she said.
Public pools can reopen in NSW from Monday, September 27.
Of the people who died with COVID-19, one person was in their 40s, two in their 50s, two in their 60s, five in their 70s, and three in their 80s.
There are currently 1238 COVID-19 cases in hospital, with 234 people in intensive care, 123 of whom require ventilation.
When asked whether the state had reached or surpassed its 'peak' in case numbers, NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty said he did not want to "jump the gun".
"Cases overall have been going up, they have stabilised and appear to be dropping in some areas where we have had rapidly increasing vaccination uptake as well as good compliance," he said.
"But in other areas of the state, particularly in the Illawarra and the Central Coast we have seen inconsistency across the board."
By Friday night, 81.9 per cent of the state's over-16 population had received a first dose vaccine while 51.9 per cent were fully vaccinated.
On Saturday, 1700 police officers were deployed across the state to quash planned demonstrations against stay-at-home orders.
They arrested 32 people and issued 265 infringement notices.
"I'm pleased to see that common sense has prevailed and the vast majority of people have complied with the existing public health orders," Police Minister David Elliott said.
Meanwhile, the union representing prison officers says mandating COVID-19 inoculations for jail staff is "a job half done" and inmates need the jab too.
"To keep NSW jails safe from COVID-19 everyone in the justice system needs to be vaccinated, no excuses," the Public Service Association's Stewart Little said.
All prison officers are required to be double vaccinated by January.
The hair and beauty industry has called on a rethink to an incoming five-client cap when salons reopen.
Australian Hair Council Chief Executive Sandy Chong said the measure would not impact transmission in any "meaningful" way.
"These restrictions are also completely inconsistent with other industries such as fitness and hospitality, which bear similar, if not greater risks of transmission, and will be able to operate without such a restrictive cap," she said.
© AAP 2021