Tasmania’s borders will open to all Australian states and territories this week, but, with the risks posed by the Omicron variant, health authorities have made some changes to the rules about testing and quarantine for some travellers.
State health commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks told ABC Radio Hobart she understood “it could be frustrating for people when rules changed” and added the amendments were introduced “to try and ensure the safety of the community” given the threat of the Omicron variant.
In a statement released on Monday she said people travelling from Tasmania to another state and spending time in a high-risk area would need to get a test within 24 hours of arriving back in Tasmania.
“People in this situation are not required to isolate prior to receiving their test and a negative result if they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and can carry out their normal activities without restriction,” she said.
If someone is experiencing COVID symptoms when they return they will have to isolate until they receive their test result.
High and extreme-risk areas, along with other restrictions and requirements, are listed on the Tasmanian government’s coronavirus website.
What is the change to testing rules for fully vaccinated travellers from high-risk areas?
Penny Gaunson is travelling to Melbourne, a high-risk area, for a medical appointment once the border reopens. She says she will be away from Tasmania for eight hours.
Under the original rules for when the border opens, Ms Gaunson would not have been required to have a test because her trip is shorter than seven days.
However, she now needs to get tested when she gets back from the appointment.
She is also happy to finally be able to go to the appointment, which has been delayed for at least six months because of border restrictions.
Her flight will land in Hobart at night, too late for her to go to a testing clinic, so she will have to get tested in the morning.
State health commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said while testing clinics would extend their opening hours, they would not be open late enough to test people arriving on late flights.
“It’s about getting that first available test that you can get in the next 24 hours following landing back in Tasmania,” she said.
Do Tasmanians returning from short trips need to isolate while waiting for their test results?
No.
After initially saying those people would need to isolate, Ms Morgan-Wicks and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said on Monday afternoon there would be no need to isolate, unless the person was experiencing symptoms.
“If you are not symptomatic you can go about your business as normal, however, if you do have symptoms, like with all of our COVID testing, you do need to isolate until you get that negative result,” Ms Morgan-Wicks said.
Explaining the changes to the changes, Mr Rockliff said it was important that the government took the “best possible advice” from Public Health.
“We will continue to take the best public health advice in the interests of keeping Tasmanians as safe as possible and ensuring that we can of course go about our business as much as possible with the freedoms we were accustomed to prior to the pandemic,” Mr Rockliff said.
What is the change to quarantine rules for fully vaccinated international arrivals?
International arrivals will be required to quarantine for seven days upon arrival, and be tested for COVID-19 on the first day and again on the fifth or sixth day.
This change has thrown Hobart woman Penny Mallam’s Christmas plans into disarray.
Ms Mallam’s husband works in a gold mine in the west African country of Burkina Faso and has been planning to come home to Tasmania for Christmas.
Ms Mallam said he delayed his return this time to coincide with the border re-opening.
“They’ve made it extremely difficult for him to return when for the last 21 months it really hasn’t been that hard. I don’t really see this as a border reopening at all,” she said.
She said he had approval to return to Australia, but navigating the Tasmanian rules had been difficult.
One of the problems has been finding her husband accommodation deemed suitable for him to quarantine in.
She said she had been told there was no availability in quarantine hotels, and despite saying she could keep her husband separate from the rest of the family during the quarantine period at the family home, she was told it would not be acceptable for him to quarantine there.
What about unvaccinated travellers?
There have been no changes to the rules for unvaccinated travellers.
All unvaccinated travellers, including Tasmanian residents, need approval to enter the state no matter where they are coming from.
If that approval is granted, quarantine and other conditions will apply.
What is happening at Tasmania’s hospitals to prepare for the border re-opening?
Tasmania’s hospitals will soon have “external triage areas” for patients to be screened before they enter emergency department waiting areas in the event of community transmission of COVID-19.
Ms Morgan-Wicks said external triage areas would be put in place outside the Royal Hobart and Launceston General hospitals’ emergency departments from Tuesday, with similar areas to be put in place at the Mersey Community and North West Regional hospitals.
“These areas are being put in place now as part of our health system preparedness but will only be used in the event community transmission is present. There will be no changes for patients presenting to EDs until that happens,” Ms Morgan-Wicks said.
“These areas are not extensions of emergency department waiting rooms, but are deliberately placed in external ventilated areas where staff can safely conduct screening before patients enter ED waiting areas. Similar areas are already in place for our major testing clinics.”
Is there any change to advice about mask wearing?
No.
The advice from the state government remains that if people cannot socially distance indoors, then mask wearing is appropriate, but there is no mandate.
Public Health Director Mark Veitch has said that if Omicron was spreading in Tasmania very quickly, “the case for measures such as masks would strengthen”.
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