Tasmania on track to reopen to Victoria on Saturday

The Public Health director said plans are in place to designate Victoria as low-risk this weekend — provided there is no evidence of community risk within the next 48 hours.

• EXCLUSIVE: Inside Tassie’s COVID vaccination hub
• Winter is coming: New COVID threat as Aussies get jab

TASMANIA may reopen its borders to Victoria on Saturday, provided risks to the community stay low.

Public Health director Mark Veitch said for now Victoria remains designated high risk, despite the state’s lockdown coming to an end on midnight Wednesday.

“Provided there is no evidence of community risk in Victoria in the next 48 hours, it is intended to designate Victoria as low-risk from 12.01am Saturday,” he said.

“Until then, travellers who have spent time in Victoria in the 14 days before their travel to Tasmania will not be permitted to enter Tasmania unless approved as an Essential Traveller.”

Dr Veitch said travellers from Victoria, including Tasmanians, would still need to apply to the Deputy State Controller to enter the state via the G2G PASS system and be subject to quarantine and testing requirements.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch. Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein gives a COVID-19 situation update. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“People who arrived in Tasmania from Victoria on or after Saturday February 12 need to remain in quarantine until the Victorian high risk designation is changed,” he said.

Tasmanians who been in New Zealand’s Auckland, Taranaki or Waikato regions since February 1 also need to self-isolate and arrange COVID-19 testing.

“There have been two more cases of COVID-19 linked to an outbreak south of Auckland in New Zealand,” Dr Veitch said.

A list of high risk premises for Victoria can be found at coronavirus.tas.gov.au, and for New Zealand at health.govt.nz.

“If anyone has cold or flu-like symptoms, even mild, contact the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 to book a test,” Dr Veitch said.

Follow @kaseywilkins95