Masks on Covid radar

Premier urges caution with indoor public spaces

THE number of Covid cases in Tasmania is expected to rise to a new peak over the next two months as part of a fresh wave of infections nationwide.

There were 1700 new cases reported on Wednesday – the highest figure in almost three months – and another death, a man in his 80s in the north.

There were 79 people hospitalised with Covid.

The state last week ended the public health state of emergency declaration and wound back the last governmentmandated public health measures, including mask-wearing.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said on Wednesday the pandemic was far from over and he recommended that people wear masks indoors.

He said he expected Covid case numbers to rise.

“Public health advice is that this is expected to peak in around August or September of this year,” he said.

“We are a highly vaccinated state and nation, which continues to provide a level of protection against these strains.

“However, it is important to take personal responsibility and continue to exercise Covid behaviours of which, of course, we are all very familiar with.

“This means staying up to date with vaccines and choosing to wear a mask when it’s not easy to socially distance.

“In fact, in the current circumstances with rising case numbers, I would strongly recommend the wearing of masks in indoor public spaces.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the spike in cases highlighted the government’s failure to maintain public health measures.

“The Covid situation in Tasmania is untenable.

“The skyrocketing cases and hospitalisations are down to the Liberals’ reckless, unscientific decision to facilitate mass infection and reinfection,” she said.

“As international and independent health experts – and the Greens – have warned, Covid subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are highly infectious and more severe than earlier mutations. Without strong protections, mass community transmission will continue.”

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said removing the public health emergency declaration would have little effect of the spread of the virus.

“Viruses don’t pay any attention to whether there’s a public health emergency in place, the only thing that affects the survival of the virus is our behaviour,” he said.

“We’re seeing a wave of BA.5 Omicron infections. This is the fifth wave of infections that occurred nationally and the fourth wave of infection that’s occurred in Tasmania – we didn’t see much of Delta last year, but we’ve experienced at least a little of each of the other waves.

“Case numbers are now definitely high.

“That’s similar to what we were seeing during the rise in BA2 Omicron in March and April of this year.”

Labor spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said she was concerned at the potential impact of increasing case numbers on the Tasmanian health system.