From Monday, a person who has contracted COVID will not have to isolate as a household contact 12 weeks after recovering from the infection.
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There has been frustration expressed over past weeks by household contacts needing to isolate for seven days if a COVID case was diagnosed within the household.
Public Health deputy director Julie Graham on Friday said if household members were released from isolation after seven days, and then a subsequent household case was identified, those who had not previously tested positive for COVID would need to isolate again for seven days.
She said from Monday, those who had previously had the infection could remain out of quarantine as long has they had recovered from it within a 12-week period.
When asked whether there was a belief that people avoided testing for COVID to avoid isolation requirements for themselves and household members, Dr Graham said Public Health expected Tasmanians to do the right thing.
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"We are seeing a significant number of close contacts in household who are going on to become cases of COVID 19," she said.
"It's important that people continue to identify themselves isolate and also quarantine if they're a close contact."
Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said people who had recovered from COVID and no longer exhibited symptoms would be safe to move onto the next scheduled vaccination dose when it was due.
She said some people experienced fatigue weeks after a COVID infection.
In this case, they should not get their next vaccination, Ms Morgan-Wicks said.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
