NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet believes the removal of masks in his state and others will help spur economic activity and job creation in Australia's cities.
COVID-19 mask mandates were lifted and dance floors reopened across the eastern states from Friday, although face coverings are still required in NSW, Victoria and the ACT in high risk settings such as public transport, aged care facilities, airports and hospitals.
"We've seen a strong return to activity in the city and that's incredibly important because when Sydney goes well, the state and the country goes well off the back of it," Mr Perrottet told reporters on Sunday.
"With face masks being removed for the office, I think we will see a lot more people return to the city tomorrow ... as people return to work, that's incredibly important and that will spur economic activity and jobs in our cities."
There are exceptions for some school students in Victoria and the ACT, who will still have to keep their masks on for now, while Queensland will ease mask rules and density limits this week.
Mandates remain in WA, Tasmania, SA and the NT.
However, the impact, if any, of these eased restrictions are yet to be reflected in the daily virus infection counts.
NSW added 6014 new infections to its caseload on Sunday and recorded a further seven deaths.
Victoria recorded another 5052 infections and 17 deaths, while in the ACT there were 495 cases.
Meanwhile, a new vaccine is ready specifically for people who haven't been able to have a dose of existing vaccines.
Evusheld has been granted approval for immunocompromised people and can also be used for those who currently can't get a vaccine due to a history of severe reactions.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced an immediate $55 million boost to Indigenous health services on Saturday.
He said the move was a result of lessons learned from the pandemic.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services will receive $54.7 million but a three per cent funding increase per year over four years won't kick in until July 2023.
"The ongoing pandemic has once again shown how critical the ACCHS sector is in delivering health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," Mr Hunt said.
