Doctors express COVID complacency fears as Tasmania prepares to reopen its borders

Managing COVID-19 “will be a different ball game” when borders are opened, doctors are warning Tasmanians – who are expecting cases to hit the state.

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MANAGING COVID-19 “will be a different ball game” when borders are opened, doctors at the Royal Hobart Hospital are warning Tasmanians.

“While it is understandable that a degree of complacency has crept in during a prolonged period of no COVID cases, opening borders means we must now shed any complacency,” chair of the Royal’s Medical Staff Association Frank Nicklason said.

“How we fare in the next period will depend heavily on the Tasmanian community once again showing solidarity with health and other key worker groups by adhering to all the rules for reducing the risk of spread.”

Last weekend nurses spoke out about severe staffing shortages across wards and their fears about how the system would manage in the event of COVID outbreak.

Dr Nicklason said it was “inevitable” that Tasmania would once again see coronavirus cases once the border opens and it was vital the community did the right thing and that the government used “all possible weapons at our disposal”.

Chair of the Royal Hobart Hospital Medical Staff Association Dr Frank Nicklason. Picture: ZAK SIMMONDS

He said that included encouraging those who tested positive to isolate in a government-run facility if there is the slightest concern that home isolation will be difficult or risky.

“We will inevitably see cases once borders are open and we will need to ensure that new cases are isolated,” Dr Nicklason said.

“Those who are a little bit sick or asymptomatic and don’t need to be in hospital should not be in hospital. Many might prefer to be at home, but doing this safely involves having an ability to isolate from family, which means two bathrooms ideally, and not having a vulnerable person in the household.”

Those who could not isolate easily at home should be thanked and celebrated for opting for “facilitated isolation” in a hospital or hotel, he said.

“This is not and should not be seen as a punitive measure. It is a supportive and assistive measure,” Dr Nicklason said.

“People signing up for this should be celebrated and lauded as people who are prepared to put the interests of their immediate family and community ahead of their own preferences.”