Urgent action must be taken to increase capacity for testing for COVID-19 in Tasmania’s North West.
Tasmanian Labor Leader, Rebecca White, welcomes the Government’s announcement that anyone with symptoms in the North West can now access testing but that with only about 100 tests done a day on the North West the capacity to increase testing must be a priority.
“Tasmania has the second highest infection rate in the country, the highest death rate in the country and the lowest testing rate. We must do better,” Ms White said.
“Some confirmed cases of the COVID-19 outbreak at the NWRH were of people who showed no symptoms, and now we have 5000 people associated with the outbreak all in quarantine.
“The North West community needs our support right now and the Government must provide easy access to testing for people confined to their homes in quarantine.
“Support services will need to be enhanced to ensure the 5000 people in quarantine on the North West coast can safely stay home and focus on looking after their health and that of their loved ones.
“The outbreak in the North West has shown us that COVID-19 isn’t a ‘city virus’, it doesn’t discriminate and greater access to testing is urgently needed across the state to ensure the outbreak is contained.
Ms White said health care facilities across Tasmania must be better supported with more PPE, equipment and training immediately to avoid a repeat of what has occurred at the NWRH.
“We continue to hear from health workers across the state that their safety is at risk because they do not have access to adequate supplies of PPE.
“Our health workers want to keep going to work, to support and protect the community, but they must be given the resources to do that safety.
“Labor will support the government to do whatever it takes to increase COVID-19 testing and deliver equipment to health workers to ensure their safety, so they can keep working and our health care facilities can remain open.”
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
