News that hospital staff have been quarantined after coming into contact with a COVID-19 case highlights the need for mandatory testing of all arrivals from Victoria.
Shadow Minister for Health Sarah Lovell said it was concerning to hear that five staff at the Royal Hobart Hospital have potentially been exposed to the virus.
"After so long without a case it's important the government takes every step to ensure patients and frontline health workers are protected and that our hospital system is safe," Ms Lovell said.
"It also begs the question of when the patient was tested. If mandatory testing was in place for arrivals from Victoria, health workers, hotel staff and any other people in contact with those in quarantine would have known this person was infectious.
"Mandatory testing provides another line of defence and opportunity to identify those cases as quickly as possible and it's well past time for the government to follow the lead of other states and introduce mandatory testing for all arrivals from Victoria as well as hotel quarantine."
Ms Lovell said with the current situation in Victoria, Tasmanians were understandably nervous about another outbreak occurring here.
"Peter Gutwein needs to follow the recommendation from his own Premier's Economic and Social Recovery Council and explain to the community its future COVID-19 management strategy including how any future outbreaks will be handled.
"How can Tasmanians have confidence about the state's readiness to respond if they don't have any information about the management strategy?
"Peter Gutwein has warned that it is most likely Tasmania will have more COVID-19 cases so it is important the community has confidence that systems are in place to quickly identify cases so they can be isolated and that any necessary contact tracing can be undertaken quickly."
Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Health
