Tasmania continues monitoring NSW zones as new Covid-19 cases emerge
Tasmania has slammed the door shut on millions of people from New South Wales amid that state’s worsening coronavirus outbreak, with a Victorian city also designated high-risk. LATEST >>
Tasmania
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LATEST, Saturday 5.15pm:
TASMANIA has closed the door on millions of people from New South Wales and ordered an urgent testing directive for anyone who has recently been in the coronavirus-hit state.
Tasmanian health authorities on Saturday locked out travellers from greater Sydney and the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong areas, deeming them high-risk.
It came in response to a worsening outbreak in NSW of the highly infectious Delta variant of coronavirus that prompted Premier Gladys Berejiklian to call a two-week lockdown.
Tasmania’s Public Health Director Mark Veitch’s declaration applied from 4pm on Saturday, extending on seven inner Sydney areas — Sydney, Randwick, Inner West, Woollahra, Waverley, Canada Bay and Bayside — that had been declared high-risk on Wednesday.
Dr Veitch urged anyone now in Tasmania who was in any of the designated high-risk areas on or since June 21 to immediately self-isolate and get a Covid-19 test at least five days after having left Sydney.
Authorities said these travellers would be allowed out of isolation after receiving a negative test result.
“People should be aware that this requirement will cause higher than normal demand on both the hotline and testing clinics, and we ask people to please be patient when accessing these services,” Dr Veitch said.
Anyone who has been in the high-risk areas since June 21 will be banned from entering Tasmania unless approved as an essential traveller.
And returning Tasmanians have to apply to re-enter the state and will be required to quarantine in a suitable premises for 14 days.
Those already in home or hotel quarantine as a result of the earlier declaration of the seven high-risk areas must still complete the 14-day isolation period.
Premier Peter Gutwein had earlier on Saturday flagged a tightening of border restrictions in response to the worsening Covid-19 situation in NSW.
Mr Gutwein said Tasmanian authorities had taken a proportionate response to the NSW outbreak but said it now needed to be increased.
He could not say how many Tasmanians would be affected by the declaration but said they would be contacted.
“We’ll be sending out texts to all of those people that are affected and advising them on whether or not they need to self-isolate or get a test,” Mr Gutwein said.
Ms Berejiklian announced millions of NSW residents would go into lockdown in the latest attempt to stamp out the spread of infection, which increased to 82 cases on Saturday.
From 6pm on Saturday, all of greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will enter lockdown with stay-at-home orders in place until July 9.
Numbers released on Saturday reported 29 locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, which included 12 new cases, while 17 of them were announced on Friday.
EARLIER, Saturday 4pm:
A CITY north of Melbourne has been designated as a high-risk area after further confirmed Covid-19 cases in linked to other cases in the region.
In response to this outbreak, the Director of Public Health said the City of Whittlesea local government area will be listed as a high-risk area from 12.01am on Sunday.
Anyone now in Tasmania who was in the Whittlesea region on or after May 6 needs to self-isolate until they obtain a negative test for Covid-19. Testing can be arranged by contacting the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738.
Several premises have been deemed high-risk in relation to this outbreak – see www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/travelalert, which will be updated regularly.
People who have recently been in Melbourne should continue to monitor this list to check if they have been at any of these premises.
Anyone currently in Tasmania who has been at any of these high-risk premises at the specified dates and times, should immediately self-isolate and contact the Public Health Hotline to organise testing. These people need to remain in isolation until advised by Public Health Services.
Anyone intending to travel to Tasmania who has been to any of these premises will not be permitted to enter the state unless approved as an Essential Traveller. Anyone who has been in the City of Whittlesea LGA on or since May 6 should not travel to Tasmania at this stage.
Any affected travellers will need to apply to the Deputy State Controller to enter the state via the G2G PASS system. If allowed to enter they will be required to quarantine for 14 days and be tested in the first few days and last few days of this period. Hotel quarantine fees may apply.
Anyone who has been in Melbourne since May 6 and who is now in Tasmania should monitor themselves for any symptoms. If they develop any cold or flu symptoms, they should immediately isolate and get tested for Covid-19.
If you have any cold or flu symptoms, even mild, contact the Public Health Hotline to arrange a test.
Visit www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au for the latest information.
EARLIER, Saturday 12.30pm:
TASMANIA is expected to slam shut its borders with the entirety of greater Sydney from 4pm today.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the state’s Public Health Director would likely make the declaration, which would apply to more than 30 local government areas in the Sydney region.
Currently there are seven local government areas Tasmania has designated high-risk.
The Wollongong area is also being considered by authorities as a result of further coronavirus developments in NSW.
EARLIER, Friday 1.30pm: Seven local government areas in NSW remain on the Tasmanian government’s high-risk radar, and the state government “won’t hesitate” to classify greater Sydney as high-risk if the Covid-19 situation worsens.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the state was responding “swiftly and proportionately to the cases that have been identified up and down the eastern seaboard” by limiting travel from high-risk NSW areas, while travel restrictions in Melbourne were continuing to ease.
He said even interactions “lasting just a few seconds” had seen cases spread in NSW.
“If there is a need to classify the greater Sydney area as high risk then we won’t hesitate to do so,” Mr Gutwein said.
Public Health director Dr Mark Veitch said NSW reported 11 new cases up until 8pm on Thursday night and have had a further 14 cases since then.
“If we started to see cases in outer Sydney that weren’t linked to known cases … and NSW couldn’t work out where they were coming from, that's when we would consider whether a wider ban on entry to Tasmania was required,” he said.
Health secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said national vaccination horizon modelling predicted Tasmania would have access to about 42,000 doses a week in July, and 72,000 doses a week in August, compared with Tasmania’s current 20,000 a week.
“It is critical that we successfully on-board as many GP clinics as we can to AstraZeneca and Pfizer to join in the effort,” she said.
“This week we are focused on moving the 1385 appointments for 50-59 year olds who were booked into an AstraZeneca clinic and need to be moved to Pfizer.”
Some 36 per cent of Tasmanians have received their first dose while 10 per cent of the population, about 44,000 locals, are fully vaccinated.
Sixty-six per cent of Tasmanians over 70 have received their first dose.
More than 202,000 doses have been delivered in the state.
Ms Morgan-Wicks said a new community clinic in Invermay was being established, with another clinic coming to Scottsdale and plans to roll out in reach vaccinations to the homeless starting next week.
Ms Morgan-Wicks said the “finishing touches” were being put on plans to create clinics dedicated to helping those with disabilities, mental health conditions, anxiety surrounding immunisations and NDIS support.
She said the Therapeutic Goods Administration had not approved the mixing of vaccine types.
“Generally you cannot get dose one of AstraZeneca and then get dose two of Pfizer,” she said.
More Covid-19 information visit coronavirus.tas.gov.au or call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738.
Originally published as Tasmania continues monitoring NSW zones as new Covid-19 cases emerge
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