Peter Gutwein,Premier
Our ongoing priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been to keep our State safe and as we move closer to December 15, we are ensuring we have the safeguards in place to safely reopen.
We know we will see positive cases when we reopen, however, with high vaccination rates and baseline public health measures, we are ready, and we will be in a strong position to keep on top of COVID.
Vaccination continues to be the most important safeguard we have and our vaccine program continues to progress well, with around 93 per cent of eligible Tasmanians over the age of 12 having had at least one dose, and more than 86 per cent fully vaccinated.
We remain on track to hit our target of at least 90 per cent fully vaccinated for Tasmanians by the time we reopen, but with two weeks to go, Tasmanians must keep turning up – so please, protect yourself, your loved ones and your community by turning up and getting vaccinated.
And a reminder for those aged 18 and over, – if you want to work in or go to a pub or club this summer where there’s dancing and stand-up drinking, from December 6 for patrons and 15 December for staff, you’ll need to be vaccinated.
So the message for anyone over 18 and not yet fully vaccinated is clear- the world changes next week, so please don’t wait. Turn up, and get vaccinated.
In terms of mandatory vaccination, we will continue to take Public Health advice at every step, and Public Health is currently reviewing Child Care and Early learning settings, given the risk posed to staff in these environments.
All Government Departments, State Authorities, GBEs and State Owned Companies are also currently undertaking risk assessments under the WHS Act including consultation with staff, to make sure their COVID safety plans are still valid in the lead up to December 15.
Once finalised, arrangements for workplaces will be communicated to employees if COVID safety plans have changed, together with what those changes mean for them.
We will provide a full update on these arrangements later next week.
We are in a good place, and we will continue to keep Tasmanians informed at every step as we move closer to reopening our borders on December 15.
