People in hotel quarantine in Tasmania will now be "strongly recommended" to be tested for COVID-19, but it won't be mandatory.
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From Wednesday, people in hotels will be advised to be tested on day five and 12 of their quarantine as part of a precautionary approach for high risk travellers.
Premier Peter Gutwein announced the additional measures on Tuesday - a day after the state's first confirmed case of COVID-19 in nearly two months.
The move has been welcomed by the Australian Medical Association Tasmania branch, with president Dr Helen McArdle saying testing on arrival was unnecessary if people were being quarantined.
However, Labor says the state's latest case confirmed the need for mandatory testing for all arrivals from Victoria - something already introduced by South Australia and Western Australia.
The young woman, who is a resident of Tasmania, was in a quarantine hotel in the state's South after returning to Tasmania from Victoria.
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As of Tuesday she remained in a stable condition in the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Deputy director of Public Health Dr Scott McKeown said the woman was considered a low risk and only became infectious in the last 48 hours of her seven days in quarantine.
He said the woman was not infectious on the flight and there was no need for contact tracing.
Mr Gutwein said the fact the case had been detected in hotel quarantine proved the system was working.
When asked if the government would make testing mandatory, he said Victorians weren't entering the state, but rather "Tasmanians who may have travelled to Melbourne for a particular purpose, returning".
Bass Labor MHA Michelle O'Byrne said the only reason the government would not be introducing mandatory testing, would be because of a resourcing issue.
"We know from the experience in other states that eventually we are going to be mandatory testing people for COVID. We really do need to do it now," she said.
"Moving to a 'please get tested model' is all well and good, but I think Tasmanians expect more from our government."
Dr McKeown said the hotel quarantine process had protected Tasmania very well to date. However, he said there were powers under the Public Health Act if people who were considered a high risk, declined voluntary testing.
"If we felt there was an assessment that a person posed a risk, and they were refusing testing, we would consider using those powers to keep Tasmania safe," he said.
Dr McArdle said testing asymptomatic people on arrival could be ineffective.
"You want to be sure you are actually going to pick up positive cases and that's why the five and 12 days makes sense," she said.
"Some people, if they are not showing the virus at five days, you will pick them up again at 12 days. But if you are doing it to everyone on arrival, it might just be a waste of a test."
As of Tuesday there were about 700 people in nine quarantine hotels around the state.
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
