WATCH LIVE: Returning Tasmanians must quarantine as Premier updates on COVID-19

Tasmanians returning home from the Greater Brisbane area must quarantine when arriving back in the state, as the city enacts a massive lockdown from 6pm tonight. REWATCH THE UPDATE >>

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TASMANIANS will start to be vaccinated against the coronavirus from the end of next month, with health workers and the elderly among the first to get the jab.

Quarantine and border workers, groups of critical health care workers, aged care and disability care staff, and residential aged care and disability residents will be given highest priority.

They are expected to receive the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer at hubs at the state’s three major hospitals in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie from late February.

Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said subsequent phases would be rolled out over coming months.

Department of Health Secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks during the COVID-19 update at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

State-run vaccination sites, respiratory clinics and other agreed general practitioner sites would be used in the later stages of the vaccination program.

Ms Morgan-Wicks said the Tasmanian Vaccination Emergency Operations Centre would be activated from Monday (JAN 11) to prepare for the rollout.

This group includes clinical and logistics expertise including those who have been involved in previous vaccination programs including swine flu and meningococcal.

The vaccine is not mandatory, but authorities said a campaign would be staged to ensure as many Tasmanians as possible got the jab.

“We will strongly be encouraging Tasmanians to get vaccinated and we will be doing our utmost to vaccinate them as quickly as we can,’’ Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein during the COVID-19 update at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

Premier Peter Gutwein said it was important that the most vulnerable cohorts of people were vaccinated first.

“It will be a significant operation, the roll out of this vaccine,’’ he said.

“A comprehensive public communication program will be actioned to ensure that Tasmanians understand and know when they can get the vaccine and where they can get the vaccine.”

It comes as travellers who arrived in Tasmania from Greater Brisbane since January 2 were put on alert as that area — including the council areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Ipswich and Logan — was locked down for three days.

Any traveller arriving in Tasmania from Friday who had been in the area was forced into quarantine for up to 14 days, including at government quarantine hotels if they could not do so at a suitable premises.

Other travellers already in Tasmania were urged to check a list of high-risk locations in the region and self-isolate if they had been at any of the places.

Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch during the COVID-19 update at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

Public Health Director Mark Veitch said about 5000 people had travelled to Tasmania from Queensland since that date and an estimated 2000 from Greater Brisbane, with health authorities contacting them by text message.

Authorities acted swiftly after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to the mutant UK strain of the virus which is said to be more highly infectious.

Mr Gutwein said the UK variant of the virus had now been detected in 33 countries.

He said while only one case of the mutant strain had been detected in Queensland, it was enough to warrant the action.

“It’s concerning enough that the government of Queensland have shut down Greater Brisbane. We need to get on top of this,’’ the Premier said.

Mr Gutwein said he would have done the same thing “in a heartbeat” if the mutant strain was detected in Tasmania.

EARLIER: TASMANIANS returning home from the Greater Brisbane area must quarantine when arriving back in the state, as the city enacts a massive lockdown from 6pm tonight.

Tasmania declared Greater Brisbane a high risk area following the announcement of the three-day lockdown earlier today.

This follows a city hotel quarantine worker being diagnosed with a more infectious ‘new variant’ strain of the virus that causes COVID-19.

WATCH THE UPDATE LIVE AT 2PM >>

Premier Peter Gutwein called the new strain a “completely different ballgame”.

“Residents of Greater Brisbane have been directed to stay at home and we would expect them not to travel rot he next three days at least,” he said

“Unless you are a Tasmanian returning home with a G2G pass … you must not travel to Tasmania.

“Any traveller including Tasmanians, from today, who have been in the greater Brisbane area will need to quarantine for up to 14 days.”

Public Health advises if Tasmania and have been in the Greater Brisbane area since 2 January, to check the list of risk locations.

“Please immediately self-isolate, check the website, and if you’ve been to any of the hot spots or have any symptoms please call the hotline,” Mr Gutwein said.

“There is no evidence yet of any community transmission … hopefully we will see that lockdown lifted sometime next week.”

There will be no changes to border classifications with New South Wales and Victoria.

“In terms of NSW and Victoria, things are progressing relatively well... Victoria has again recorded zero new cases, NSW has four and the actions they are taking in those jurisdictions appear to be working,” Mr Gutwein said.

National Cabinet met for the first time this year and the discussion was largely around the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Mr Gutwein said the Pfizer vaccine will be approved by the end of January, and expects the rollout of in mid-February.

More to come...

EARLIER: TWO new Victorian locations have been added to the list of high risk premises where people with cases of coronavirus have visited, with Tasmanians urged to regularly check the updated list.

On Wednesday, Victoria reported only one new locally-acquired case of coronavirus, with the source of the infection still under investigation.

The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services listed several premises within the Chadstone Shopping Centre on December 26, and a specific section of the MCG on December 27, as settings where this infection may have been acquired.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch during a recent COVID-19 update. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Tasmanian Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said anyone now in Tasmania who was at either of these places on these days should check the specific locations and times at www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/case-locations-and-outbreaks and contact the Tasmanian Public health Hotline on 1800 671 738 for further advice.

Tasmania now has designated 19 premises in Victoria as high-risk premises listed at https://coronavirus.tas.gov.au/travellers-and-visitors/coming-to-tasmania/travel-alert#victoriahigh.

Also on Wednesday, NSW reported four new locally-acquired COVID-19 infections, of which two were household contacts of known cases.

Another case is a man from Western Sydney who was infected at the Berala BWS on Christmas Eve before travelling to Broken Hill, Orange and Nyngan last weekend before developing symptoms. No further cases linked to this man have been diagnosed so far.

Originally published as WATCH LIVE: Returning Tasmanians must quarantine as Premier updates on COVID-19