Tasmania opens doors to NSW despite more active cases than Victoria

Tasmania will be reopening its border to New South Wales on Friday, with uncertainty still surrounding whether the state’s opening date to Victoria will be shifted forward. LATEST >>

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TASMANIA’S border will be opening to New South Wales later this week despite having a higher number of active cases than Victoria.

The state government confirmed New South Welshmen will be permitted to enter the state freely from 12.01am Friday.

Premier Peter Gutwein said travellers will be able to enter without quarantining, however they will still need to undertake health screening and possible COVID-19 testing.

This comes after the Tasmania reopened its borders to safe states Queensland, South Australia, the ACT, Northern Territory, and Western Australia on October 26.

Premier Peter Gutwein. Picture: PATRICK GEE

It is not yet known if the state will reopen to Victoria sooner than December 1, with the state having only 38 active cases compared to 49 in NSW.

“Case numbers in Victoria are also very low, with no new cases in recent days and several complex outbreaks appearing to be controlled,” Mr Gutwein said.

“December 1 has been indicated as the date by which we hope to relax border restrictions with Victoria.

“Public Health will provide advice on the prospect of an earlier first step of enabling safe home quarantine for people travelling from Victoria to Tasmania in the coming weeks.

“I will continue to keep Tasmanians informed on this matter, as Victoria is our closest neighbour and home to many Tasmanians’ family and friends.”

Labor leader Rebecca White said the decision to open to NSW reinforced the need for a standardised contact tracing system.

Labor leader Rebecca White during question time in state parliament. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“While the government insists on maintaining restrictions on things like drinking while standing, it has failed to act on massive gaps in their ability to contact trace,” she said.

She said NSW was widely regarded as the gold standard for contact tracing, using a standardised form or QR code-based system.

“This is vitally important because it ensures that any case of the virus results in a swift and accurate response to follow up anyone who might have been a close contact,” she said.

“Venues shouldn’t have to make it up as they go along. Clever, technology-based solutions are available and I urge the government to roll them out without further delay.”

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