Peter Gutwein,Premier
The health and safety of Tasmanians remains our absolute priority as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we continue doing everything possible to keep Tasmanians safe.
This includes ensuring that Tasmanians understand what would occur in a short and sharp lockdown of 3-5 days, should it be required, to act as a circuit breaker to COVID-19 being detected in our community.
I want to make it absolutely clear that we are currently not in lockdown and Tasmania is in a good place, but Delta is different and we're learning from the lockdown experiences of other states and preparing if one is required.
Our focus when it comes to Delta is on lock out, not lock down and while we have a range of safeguards in place, should we experience a situation where a lockdown is necessary, it's important we are all prepared and we all know what that means.
Today we have released additional information to help Tasmanians understand what we all need to do, should a lockdown be necessary. Importantly, each situation or outbreak will be different and will require a tailored response, based on the specific circumstances that apply in each situation and based on public health advice.
The plan details what restrictions will apply on businesses, gatherings, home visits, and access to aged care facilities and hospitals, as well as the use of face masks.
Our position is that we need to go hard and go early, with significant restrictions to apply for as short a time as possible, depending on public health advice.
There is also a clear list of authorised business and authorised workers, based on essential needs and operations.
The full plan can be found at www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/lockdown-plan, and I encourage all Tasmanians to jump online and take a look, so they know what to expect in the event that we do have a case of community transmission.
Of course, the best thing for Tasmania is for no lockdown to occur in the first place, which is why we put in place our 4-point Delta Shield Plan, and in doing so, we strengthened border controls; we strengthened testing, tracking and tracking systems; and we bolstered support for business.
We are in week two of the Super Six Vaccination Blitz, and pleased to report we are well and truly on track to exceed our target to vaccinate 63 per cent of Tasmanians with their first dose by 12 September.
This is fantastic news and a credit to Tasmanians who continue to roll up their sleeve to do the right thing.
The Prime Minister also announced yesterday that from Monday 30 August, anyone aged 16-39 years will be able to get a Pfizer vaccine, and you will be able to make a booking in our community clinics or participating GPs.
We have already been vaccinating those Tasmanians aged 30+ in our community clinics over the last few weeks, and from Monday we will be vaccinating 16-18 year old students - giving even more Tasmanians the ability to protect themselves more quickly from COVID-19.
But with the threat of Delta ever-present, we need to maintain this momentum and keep doing the right thing.
Keep on top of COVID safe behaviours, wash your hands, be aware of distancing, wear a mask if the event calls for it, cover your coughs and sneezes, don't hesitate to get a test even if you have mild symptoms, and – don't wait. Vaccinate.
