Vaccination booster shots, public health safety measures and COVID testing, tracing and isolation were the three issues discussed at Wednesday's national cabinet meeting.
Following the meeting, Premier Peter Gutwein said he was waiting on ATAGI advice to see if the booster program could be shortened from five months to three or four months, but said more booster shots were being secured regardless of any changes.
"Regardless of the health advice, we will ensure the necessary resources are in place to ensure we can roll out the booster program as quickly as we can," he said.
Concerning public health and social measures, the Premier said the current measures in place were strong and would not change, despite concerns raised by the hospitality sector.
He said the measures including social distancing, limits on people in venues and at events, and wearing a mask indoors would all continue, citing their importance in slowing the spread of COVID.
"It's important that people continue to follow those measures, they will help to keep you and the rest of the community safe," he said.
Following the spike in cases in NSW, Mr Gutwein said he had encouraged Premier Dominic Perrottet to re-implement social distancing measures in the state.
"I don't think it's appropriate that no contact tracing, other than high-risk areas occurs, and they haven't as yet mandated masks," he said.
"We know with the growing case count over there, that one way they can limit the spread is to ensure they put those social measures back in place.
"I would encourage NSW very firmly to do that."
Mr Gutwein said a national definition for a casual contact for uniformity across all states and territories has also been discussed and was awaiting advice from the AHPPC on the matter.
He said in the following weeks, national cabinet would also discuss the use of rapid antigen tests, but at present, the state wouldn't make any changes to the current testing protocols.
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Andrew Chounding
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
An experienced multi-platform journalist focusing on the issues that impact health in Tasmania. With a background in social research and public policy, health reporting for Andrew is about ensuring the best health outcomes for the Northern Tasmanian community. Contact Andrew at: andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au or 0437 358 262
