Time to face

TASMANIANS attending events with more than 1000 people will be required to wear masks in the latest tightening of rules designed to contain the risk of coronavirus.

Premier Peter Gutwein announced the new restrictions, which will apply to events such as Salamanca Market that have approval to host large numbers of people.

“From one minute past midnight next Friday night it will be mandatory now for people who attend events with 1000 people or more to wear masks and that will be mask wearing at indoor or outdoor events where 1000 are attending,” he said.

“I think it’s a very sensible decision to make face masks compulsory, it reduces the risk of Covid-19 under the current circumstances.”

Mr Gutwein reiterated the government’s hard line on conscientious objection to mandatory vaccinations for health care workers, saying no exemptions would be given.

“There will be no recognition of conscientious objection, in existing mandatory vaccination directions,” he said.

“We’re mandating this for a reason, we want to keep people safe.”

State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said she had not been persuaded by the conscientious objection arguments.

“With all respect to the commentary that’s occurring in relation to the conscientious objection, I really do need to think about the fact that there is also a conscientious objection to preventable death,” she said.

And Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said that people could refuse the vaccine, but would have to accept the consequences of that decision.

Ms Morgan-Wicks said the state’s vaccination program rethat mained on track, with 63 per cent of those aged over 16 having received at least one dose and the Moderna vaccine becoming available.

She said the state had ample vaccine to push towards 70 per cent of eligible Tasmanians fully vaccinated within the next month, and 80 per cent by the end of October.

“Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in the number of people not turning up to booked appointments,” she said.

“This has been as a result of people booking multiple appointments across a number of days or weeks and not cancelling those appointments that they don’t need.”

The Premier said all those who had arrived aboard a repatriation flight from the UK at the weekend had been retested and showed negative results.

Health care workers will need to have received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine or to have provided evidence of a booking or exemption by October 31.