Labor backs calls for government to reveal Covid outbreak plan
Labor has called on the government to better inform Tasmanians on how a possible Covid-19 outbreak would be handled. LATEST >>
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LABOR says the state government needs to be open with the Tasmanian community about its plans for another Covid-19 outbreak.
The July 2020 report of the Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council called on the government to “explain to the community its future Covid-19 management strategy, including how outbreaks will be handled”.
Despite accepting the recommendation, the government has not revealed its plan.
Business shutdowns caused by the spread of the Delta strain have caused havoc in the New South Wales and Victorian economies and Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Michael Bailey says local businesses did not know how they would be affected in the event of a lockdown.
Returning to work as Labor leader, Ms White on Monday joined the call for more information on how a fresh outbreak would be handed.
“So we saw in the PESRAC interim report – it was recommendation number two – that the government needed to clearly explain what would happen to Tasmania if there was an outbreak here.
“Would they lock the place down? How would they support the community to get through? “They failed to provide an update since that time and it’s since become a final recommendation of the PESRAC report and still the government hasn’t provided a comprehensive response.”
Tasmania has not had a case of community transmission in more than a year — and just a single case of the Delta variant in a traveller who arrived and left the state in quick succession.
Ms White said lockdowns around the nation flagged the need for Tasmanians to understand what the government response would involve so they could understand how it might impact their lives.
“They need to make sure that Tasmanians understand what happens if there is an outbreak in this state,” she said.
“Tasmanians need to be provided with information so they can prepare.
“One of the biggest challenges that we have seen across the rest of the country when places have gone into lockdown is confusion around messaging.
“The Tasmanian government has the opportunity, with the time that it’s been blessed with, to clearly communicate what the plan will be.”
Skills, Training and Workforce Minister Sarah Courtney said there were plans in place.
“We have robust escalation plans around the state of what would happen, however, speculating on something that is yet to occur is difficult,” she said.
Libs urged to detail Covid outbreak plans
THE business community needs more information on how the government plans to respond to a Covid-19 outbreak, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says.
Business shutdowns caused by the spread of the Delta strain have caused havoc in the New South Wales and Victorian economies.
Chamber CEO Michael Bailey said local businesses did not know how they would be affected in the event of a lockdown.
“The planning behind the scenes clearly must have happened. It’d be of great concern if it hadn’t happened,” Mr Bailey said.
“We sent a letter to the Premier a couple of weeks ago to ask for a number of things to be answered: the first thing is when Covid does come back into Tasmania, how will the lockdown occur?
“Will it be for the whole state, for a part of the state or for a region? When a lockdown happens, what businesses will remain open?”
The July 2020 report of the Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council called on the government to “explain to the community its future Covid-19 management strategy, including how outbreaks will be handled”.
Premier Peter Gutwein said he accepted all the recommendations of the report and would deliver all of them.
A government spokesman said the community had been kept informed during the pandemic.
“The coronavirus.tas.gov.au website contains the Covid-19 management strategy, such as vaccination, testing, tracing and quarantine information and all the various directions,” he said.
“Covid-19 plans and strategies are publicly available such as the Case and Outbreak Management Framework, which describes the co-ordinated, multi-agency response to cases and outbreaks, and provides a dossier of tools and resources to support the efforts of businesses and other organisations [to] prepare and plan for action to help stop the spread of Covid-19.”
Mr Bailey said the government could do a lot better.
“South Australia, for example has a very easy to follow guide that’s available for all South Australians that maps out how things occur,” he said.
“It maps out when businesses shut, what businesses remain open, how they need to behave to remain open and alive.
“What we’re asking for is the same for our state right now. What is the plan? How’s it going to be mapped out? And let’s make it available for people to understand the way PESRAC said it should.”
Labor on Saturday criticised the government for failing to communicate clearly with the community – particularly with business.
“Recommendation 2 from the PESRAC interim report still has not been responded to, particularly in relation to what support will be put in place when borders are closed,” party spokesman Dean Winter said.
“The Premier should have lobbied his federal colleagues for Tasmania to get the equivalent support as interstate businesses who have been impacted by lockdown and provide direct financial support to workers.”
Over 10 people fined for border breaches in two weeks
A 29-year-old Victorian man has been fined and directed to leave Tasmania after providing false details on his Tas-e-Travel pass.
The man flew into Burnie on Sunday August 8 and after an identification check he was questioned by police and admitted to providing incorrect information on his application.
He was fined $778.50 and returned to Victoria on the next flight available.
“Anyone entering Tasmania from a High-Risk area must seek pre-approval from the Deputy State Controller to enter the state as an Essential Traveller.” said Tasmania Police.
“The Good to Go (G2G) system is used to apply, assess, endorse or reject these applications.” “All those arriving from a low- risk area are required to apply for a Tas E Travel Pass.”
Since the offence penalities have been upgraded and anyone who enters the state without approval will be fined $1157.
The man is the eleventh person who has been fined for breaching Tasmania’s border restrictions within the past two weeks.
Family of three from Queensland fined for illegally entering Tassie
A family of three travelling from a high-risk Queensland area are the latest offenders to breach Tasmania’s border restrictions after illegally entering the state without approval on Monday afternoon.
The adults aged 58, 51 and 21 copped a $2335.50 fine after arriving into the state via plane without a Good to Go pass.
They have since been directed into a Government quarantine facility.
Tasmania Police said although the trio had submitted travel applications, they had been rejected and were not classified as essential travellers as they had not met relevant criteria.
“The message is clear, if you do not have an approved pass to enter Tasmania, do not travel here,” said Inspector John Toohey.
“People arriving from any low-risk areas interstate are required to apply for a Tas E Travel Pass, and those who have been in high-risk areas must seek pre-approval through the G2G system”.
“Tasmania Police will continue to enforce non-compliance at our border and anyone who knowingly arrives in Tasmania without approval will be issued a $778.50 fine.”
Further two travellers caught illegally entering Tassie
Monday, August 9
A further two travellers have each been fined $778.50 after attempting to enter Tasmania without approval.
A 39-year-old Burnie man who travelled from Queensland to Tasmania on July 18 failed to tell authorities that he had been to NSW and was subsequently fined for the breach.
In a separate incident a 56-year-old who arrived in the state via the Spirit of Tasmania on Thursday August 5 will be sent home this evening after travelling from Queensland without pre-approval.
“Investigations revealed the man had applied to enter Tasmania previously and had been rejected.” said Tasmania Police.
“The man was rejected on the basis that he had been in a high-risk area and did not meet the criteria of an essential traveller.”
Inspector John Toohey said Tasmania Police will not hesitate to “penalise those who blatantly breach current directions” and anyone who knowingly arrives into the state without approval will be fined.
The breaches come after a third traveller was fined on Saturday August 7 and a man infected with Covid-19 entered the state from NSW last week.
“The message is simple, if you do not have an approved pass to enter Tasmania, do not travel,” Inspector Toohey said.
“The changing COVID environment with the Delta strain has presented significant challenges in mainland states and we need to ensure the community complies with directions.”
Second traveller fined for illegal entry to Tassie
Saturday, August 7
ANOTHER traveller has been discovered attempting to enter Tasmania from a high-risk area without permission, authorities have revealed.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the traveller had tried to come into the state on the Spirit of Tasmania on Saturday without a pass from Victoria, which is currently a high-risk area.
The traveller was directed to return to Victoria and fined $778.50.
It comes after a 31-year-old NSW man who later tested positive to Covid-19 flew into Launceston last week without the required approval.
He was placed into hotel quarantine in Tasmania, before being tested and then returning to NSW before his result was available, which prompted a large-scale public health response.
The traveller has been confirmed to have the highly contagious Delta strain of the virus, with hundreds of contacts in Tasmania identified and tested.
No positive results have yet been detected, with almost 5000 tests being processed through the Tasmanian laboratory in the past three days, and Mr Gutwein said he was hopeful that trend would continue.
“We believe the risk of community transmission is extremely low, but we can’t take any chances,” the Premier said.
“We’re asking all Tasmanians to continue to follow the Public Health advice, and follow it to the letter.
“This is serious and you only have to look at what is occurring across the country to see the devastating consequences and understand what can happen if the genie gets out of the bottle.”
Public Health deputy director Julie Graham said there were 114 contacts of the man in quarantine, with most of them having been tested and returning negative results.
Further results are expected soon.
Across the state, there are 369 people in hotel quarantine and 1065 in home quarantine.
Meanwhile, about 5000 people under stay-at-home orders in Tasmania after they travelled from South-East Queensland will be able to move freely from 4pm on Sunday.
It comes after the mainland state announced its lockdown would end at the same time.
However, Mr Gutwein said border restrictions with 11 local government areas in that state would remain in place for the time being, with further consideration given in coming days.
However, from 4pm on Sunday, Tasmania will declare the regions of Cairns and Yarrabah as high-risk due to those areas entering a three-day lockdown.
Tasmanian border restrictions with NSW and Victoria continue, as those states endure lockdowns.
Island pub transforms into isolation hub
Dave Gunton’s country pub is the last place you’d expect to receive top notch room service, but it’s fast becoming the ultimate tranquil spot for guests to spend their Covid-19 isolation.
Travellers coming to Bruny Island for the peace and serenity found themselves in a panic when they realised they’d entered the state from mainland Covid-19 hot spots, but pub owner Mr Gunton said Hotel Bruny was ready to save the day.
“We got some phone calls from distressed Brisbanites on Sunday morning,” he said.
“We had one lady that had already checked into a nice compact hotel room, she asked if she could extend her stay.
“Five minutes later I had another lady from Queensland who had to extend for a further two nights.”
Mr Gunton said his previous experience working at a 5-star hotel kicked into gear, with the team bringing cutlery, meals and crockery up to the rooms for their guests – even supplying towels and detergent so guests could wipe down their utensils.
Mr Gunton and his family had their own luxury iso stint when they had to quarantine for 14 days at their home just down the road from the pub after a skiing trip to Falls Creek in Victoria was cut short by fresh coronavirus cases.
“Our wonderful staff at Hotel Bruny were good enough to arrange daily deliveries to our doorstep of the essentials – food, Bruny Island craft beer and cider, and of course ice cream and Becky’s homemade desserts,” Mr Gunton said.
He said the local courier dropping off presents from Hobart earned the nickname “Mrs Santa”.
“First it was a chainsaw, in order to cut firewood for warmth, then came the pasta machine – who could comprehend 14 days without freshly made pasta?” Mr Gunton said.
“Rufus our youngest son decided to take up tie-dying as a homeschooling activity, so along came the delivery of dye solutions and white T-shirts.”
The hotel owner was grateful for the “amazing sense of community” at Bruny, and the scenic views and surrounds contributing to a happy iso experience.
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