Tasmania remains on track to meet its 80 per cent fully vaccinated targeted by Melbourne Cup week at the start of November, meaning guidelines for snap lockdowns over COVID cases would be eased significantly.
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Under the national plan, 70 per cent fully vaccinated levels - which Tasmania will meet later this week - would still mean "targeted" lockdowns should COVID emerge in the community.
But at 80 per cent, they would only be used "in very difficult circumstances", Premier Peter Gutwein said.
The government hopes to reach 90 per cent vaccination by December 1, and Mr Gutwein has stated on multiple occasions his desire for the state's border to be opened generally by Christmas.
The state's road map to reopening borders will be released later this week, based on modelling from the University of NSW's Kirby Institute led by epidemiologist Professor Raina MacIntyre.
Mr Gutwein said he was hopeful Tasmania could avoid another snap lockdown.
"I would hope that this is the last lockdown that we will see prior to reopening our borders," he said.
On Monday, Tasmania was at 84 per cent first-dose vaccination, and 68.5 per cent fully vaccinated.
Why the South went into a snap lockdown over one case
Hobart was Australia's last capital city to go into lockdown, at a time when NSW and Victoria are opening up with COVID still spreading.
Tasmania's last regional lockdown was 17 months ago when an outbreak in the North-West caused two hospitals to close.
It was almost two months after the government released its COVID outbreak plan after pressure from the business community, detailing how either regions or the whole state would be locked down, depending on the risk.
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said the level of unknowns about the 31-year-old's movements after he left hotel quarantine meant the most cautious approach was taken.
"In this instance there was substantial risk out there," he said.
"We knew that this person who was in the infectious phase of his illness was out in the community for 18 hours, had been to places that we were only just identifying, and could plausibly, even now, have been somewhere that we haven't identified.
"That's a high risk situation for Tasmania, and we were moving and mixing like it was 1999, really."
The snap lockdown had economic consequences however, including the cancellation of the Uncomformity arts festival in Queenstown, along with any planned weddings and other events needing to be delayed.
Mr Gutwein said he "couldn't be more pleased" with the outcome after no new cases were reported over the weekend.
"Experience in other jurisdictions has indicated that with Delta, you can never be too early, you can only be too late," he said.
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"So in terms of the risk that was identified by Dr Veitch and Public Health on Thursday night, and then obviously discussed over the course of the early part of Friday, I'm very comfortable with the steps that we've taken."
Southern Tasmanians will still need to wear masks both indoors and outdoors when away from their residences.
Health policy analyst Martyn Goddard foreshadowed an increased use of mask mandates in 2022 when borders reopen and COVID re-enters Tasmania.
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