What it will mean when the emergency declaration is lifted

TASMANIA’S Covid-19 public health emergency declaration officially ends tonight. WHAT HAPPENS NOW>>

FROM midnight tonight Tasmania’s Covid-19 public health emergency will end, meaning some previously enforced rules around managing the pandemic will become guidelines.

Tasmanians have lived under public health emergency declarations for more than two years, following the first declaration in March 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic.

The lifting of the final declaration comes as the state government reports another day of increased Covid infections in Tasmania.

An update provided by Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the state had recorded 1268 new cases overnight, with 1077 people recovered and released from isolation.

The new case numbers were up from 1174 on Wednesday, 1018 reported on June 24 and 1043 on June 23.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos June 17, 2022: Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff arrives at Parliament House, Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Rockliff said there were currently 44 people in hospital with Covid and of these, 14 were being treated specifically for Covid.

There were three people being cared for in the ICU.

A woman in her 100s died in the south and a man in his 70s died in the North West.

The number of total active cases was 7419.

“Public Health officials have previously explained that fluctuations in daily case numbers are a part of living with Covid and it remains our collective responsibility to look out for one another by continuing to follow Covid-safe behaviours,” Mr Rockliff said.

Ninety-nine per cent of Tasmanians aged over 16 have received two Covid vaccination doses.

The lifting of the public health declaration means the Director of Public Health will instead manage Covid using ordinary powers.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch speaks to the media during a Covid briefing at the Executive Building in Hobart on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

Directions relating to isolation of cases, requirements of close contacts, management of large events, and the use of face masks on aircraft will be replaced by enforceable public health

orders and guidelines under the Public Health Act.

There will no longer be a requirement for employers to document Covid control measures but Public Health continues to recommend this as best practice.

Best practice guidance will also replace directions requiring vaccination for workers in certain settings, use of face masks in certain high-risk settings and management of risk in high-risk settings including residential aged care facilities and cruise ships.

Arrivals into Hobart Airport going through Covid screening procedures with Biosecurity Tasmania. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Health Consumers Tasmania CEO Bruce Levett said Covid still presented significant risks.

“While the Public Health Emergency Declaration is expiring, it doesn’t mean that we are out of the woods,” Mr Levett said.

“This week alone there have been over a thousand new cases of Covid reported every day in the state and thousands of vulnerable Tasmanians are still at risk.

“While the expiration of the Public Health Emergency Declaration is a matter for the experts at Public Health, it’s vital that people don’t see this as an excuse to let their guards down.”