The Australian Medical Association made the call for mandatory vaccination on Tuesday, saying it was inevitable the Delta strain would enter the state, and we need to minimise the risk.

Spokesman Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel is right when he says the current health system is running at capacity, and can't absorb more patients or significant numbers of the workforce being unwell if there is a wave of COVID-19 across the state.

He says giving everyone in the health system a vaccination would help to stop patients giving health workers the virus, or the workers passing it on to patients.

Out of any state, Tasmania can least afford to have its system brought to its knees, with our population older and sicker than the rest of the nation.

To his credit, acting premier and health minister Jeremy Rockliff says it is something being actively considered by the government.

If, and hopefully when, the decision is made to push ahead with the vaccinations, they can be delivered quickly and with minimal disruption.

That would take us another step toward being able to relax border restrictions across the nation.

With both New South Wales and Victoria continuing to struggle to bring down the number of new cases of COVID-19, the likelihood of borders being reopened without restrictions in the short term is very low.

However, we have been told a number of times in recent weeks that when vaccination rates reach certain levels, border controls should be relaxed.

That brings with it a chorus of opposition from many who believe Tasmania is better off without interstate, let alone international, visitors.

This isn't realistic long-term, and preparing our health system as best we can is one way to work toward reopening borders and reuniting friends and family across the nation.

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