A phrase used a lot recently by the state government has been "we will have more to say about that after national cabinet".
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But the fact is parents wanted to know what the government's plans are for students to safely return to school on February 9 long ago, not three weeks out.
Premier Peter Gutwein confirmed on Tuesday his government's education plan, which has been in the works for months in consultation with Public Health, is being finalised and would be revealed after national cabinet meets on Thursday.
While that is well and good, and people understand making policy takes time, the clock is ticking.
Hopefully, this week's announcements go some way to answering a myriad of questions around close contact guidelines for students (as parents will be impacted by having to stay at home from work with young children), how schools will be staffed if teachers are forced to isolate, if masks will be mandatory, if students will need to undertake RATs like in other states or not and what the plan is for students forced into home schooling.
Not unreasonable questions, yet Mr Gutwein and his ministers have been reluctant to divulge their COVID school's audit or any detail about the safeguards that will be implemented to protect school staff and students.
It's unfortunate given parents, especially those with children aged from five to 11, are understandably nervous about how safe these youngsters will be when they either go to school for the first time or return to the classroom in the middle of a pandemic.
Their apprehensions are well-founded given according to the released "national framework for managing COVID-19 in schools and early childhood education and care" which says "With high levels of community transmission, COVID-19 transmission will occur in education settings and contribute to overall levels of community transmission".
It went on to state that: "For most of Term 1, 2022, the difference between primary and secondary school settings will be more marked as it will take time to build strong vaccination coverage of children aged five to 11 years".
As of Tuesday, Mr Gutwein said 28 per cent of five to 11-year-olds had received their first dose.
Surely, given Omicron was already spreading like wildfire before the start of the summer break last year, federal, state, and territory leaders should have been making contingency plans for the return to school in 2022 weeks ago. Did they think this problem was going to resolve itself?
The state government has been a proactive and strong leader throughout the majority of the pandemic, but since Tasmania's borders opened on December 15 it appears the government has moved to a reactive decision-making position.
While there are compelling economic arguments to bring schools back on schedule, the public is entitled to know what is being done to promote a safe learning environment.
Parents want assurances and kicking the can down the road has done nothing but heighten anxiety, most of which is unnecessary and preventable.