NSW has reported 8752 more COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, as cases in the state remain under 10,000 for the sixth consecutive day.

Tuesday’s case numbers were up 3836 from Monday, and the number of people in hospital in NSW increased by five to 1293.

They include 71 virus patients in intensive care.

Meanwhile, health officials from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee are reportedly considering scrapping the requirement for asymptomatic household contacts of COVID-positive people to isolate for seven days.

The plan, being considered by NSW and Victorian health officials, would mean people who have received a booster shot would be able to leave isolation to go to work, according to a report in Nine Newspapers.

On Monday, NSW celebrated the return of international travellers arriving at Sydney Airport for the first time in almost two years.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the return of international travel was “phenomenal” and the government was leading the reopening of a $38 million tourism industry.

“There is probably no industry that has done it tougher over the last two years than the tourism sector,” Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said.

Mr Ayres encouraged people to book their travel through a travel agent, organise accommodation through local providers and and support local businesses as the state opened up.

On the same day, a long-running dispute between the rail union and the NSW government halted all trains, as rail workers were locked out of work by Sydney Trains, bringing the city to a sudden standstill.

The government blamed the Rail, Tram and Bus Union for the shutdown, with Mr Perrottet referring to it as a “co-ordinated, concerted attack”. However, NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said workers were not striking and had been ready to work “at a minute’s notice”.

A limited rail service was running across greater Sydney on Tuesday. All Sydney Train lines were running on all stops at a minimum frequency of every half an hour.

-AAP