Covid and borders: Peter Gutwein reveals what opening up will mean for Tassie

Peter Gutwein has warned those impatient for the state to reopen its borders that Delta will take a grim toll unless every eligible Tasmanian has had a chance to be vaccinated. LATEST >>

PREMIER Peter Gutwein has warned those impatient for the state to reopen its borders that Delta will take a grim toll unless every eligible Tasmanian has had a chance to be vaccinated.

The timing and conditions for the state’s border reopening remains unclear.

Digging in around a reopening dependent on double dose vax rates reaching 90 per cent in defiance of the Prime Minister’s call for easing restrictions at 80 per cent, Mr Gutwein told reporters it would not happen before December.

He described New South Wales’ plan to open early as “ a recipe for an acceleration of the spread of the virus”.

Mr Gutwein said Tasmania would await modelling on the impact of the Delta variant of Covid-19 and watch the larger states reopening over the next two months and see how they fared.

>> OPINION: Why it’s time for Tasmania to set the course for normal

“We do know and there is no doubt about this that if we were to relax border restrictions at 80 per cent that Covid would enter Tasmania and it would take off,” he said.

“Some people would get sick, some people would get very sick. And unfortunately, some Tasmanians would lose their lives.”

Mr Gutwein said based on existing projections, Tasmania would experience 14,900 cases, up to 590 hospital admissions, 97 people in intensive care admissions and nearly 100 deaths within six months.

The annual flu death toll, by comparison, is 50 to 100 deaths.

“I haven’t sugar coated things,” Mr Gutwein said.

“As we move forward and prepare ourselves for when Delta will one day be here it’s important we take every step we can to protect ourselves and importantly vaccinate ourselves.”

Premier Peter Gutwein. Picture: Richard Jupe

The government is awaiting modelling from the Garvan Institute on the likely prognosis for a local easing of travel restrictions before making an announcement.

When inbound travel resumes, Mr Gutwein warned that it was likely that it would be for double-vaxxed travellers only, who might be subject to testing before and after travel and short periods of quarantine.

“To be very clear Victoria and New South Wales have reopening plans because they are currently closed. Their communities are locked down,” he said.

“Now, under their plans while they get some freedoms back at 80% for fully vaccinated people, even at 90 per cent, as foreshadowed by New South Wales, which they expect to achieve by the 1st of December, they will only come back to being broadly in line with the restrictions that we have in place here.”

“Now we have the benefit of watching these two largest states reopen over the next two months, we’re going to have the benefit of watching one of the largest social and health experiments in the country’s history unfold as they attempt to bring their communities broadly into line with where we are here in Tasmania today.”

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch would not say what level of deaths would be considered acceptable, but noted modelling was predictive only, not authoritative.

“What we will do when we get information from the Garvan [Institute], is we will look at the information that it provides the projections of what might happen at various [vaccination] rates we will also look at the Doherty Institute information.

“We’re looking at other states in Australia, what’s happening internationally. So we’ll use multiple pieces of information to inform the decisions about, you know, not just one particular source.”

Sydney-siders line up at the vaccination clinic in Roseville. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

A general view of trams and pedestrians at Bourke Street Mall on September 29, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Tasmania reveals new high risk Queensland areas | September 28

TASMANIA has stopped short of locking the border to Queensland but has declared several high-risk premises following the emergence of six new Covid cases in the mainland state.

Those locations include Brisbane Airport and two separate domestic flights, with possible exposure times between September 17 and 27.

Tasmanian Public Health Director Mark Veitch said anyone who had spent time at any of the locations at the specified dates and times would not be allowed to travel to Tasmania.

Dr Veitch said anyone now in Tasmania who had been at any of the sites should immediately isolate and call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 for advice.

“At this stage, Public Health believes the risk to the Tasmanian community is low and no further restrictions are required,’’ he said.

“However, it will continue to closely monitor the situation in Queensland and respond as necessary to protect the Tasmanian community.”

Queensland’s six new cases revealed on Tuesday were divided between two clusters.

Tasmania currently has border restrictions with every Australian state and territory except the Northern Territory.

The entirety of Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT are declared high-risk, while high-risk premises are declared in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

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