The Liberals must act on the Australian Medical
Association’s call for the State Government to provide quarantine isolation to
all patients in Tasmania who are infectious with COVID-19 but do not require
hospitalisation.
Labor Leader, Rebecca White,
said Labor has been calling for the Government to procure vacant hotels to
accommodate those required to be in quarantine and that action was now needed
urgently.
“Procuring
vacant hotels and other accommodation providers to provide a safe and secure
place for individuals
who need to quarantine but have no ability to do so in their own home is both
achievable and necessary,” Ms White said.
“Our
hospitals are already at capacity and more is urgently needed to ensure Tasmania’s health
system can cope in response to the threat of COVID-19.
“Tasmania’s hospitality
sector has been hard hit with the cancellation of large events and
non-essential travel, and hotel vacancy rates are high.
“This measure will help ease the
strain on our hospitals, protect families and the community from exposure to
COVID-19 and serve as a much-needed economic stimulus for the hospitality
industry.
“The
Government must also ensure that the hospitality sector is provided with the
resources it needs to provide this service safely, especially PPE and training
for staff.
“We must work together and move quickly to ensure Tasmania’s economy has the best possible chance of recovering from the effects of COVID-19 and we urge the Liberals to act on the advice from Labor and the AMA today.”
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
