KEEP CALM BUT DO THE RIGHT THING

TASMANIANS have been extraordinarily fortunate in our experience dealing with coronavirus in the state. In the past 18 months we are the only jurisdiction in Australia that has not had to go into snap or longer-term lockdowns to stop the spread of Covid – simply because we have not had to deal with further cases or outbreaks.

Being forced into the current threeday lockdown will understandably come as a shock to many Tasmanians.

Until now, we have not had to live with a mask, restrictions or total lockdowns – unlike our mainland cousins.

But given we have done what is needed to date has been so successful, it is likely Tasmanians will also now do what it takes to get the job done.

There will be palpable anger in the community about the individual and his friends who have avoided and ignored trying to snuff out any spread.

Understandably people will be furious about a lockdown.

Especially those of us who are fully vaccinated.

The individual who came to our state, ignoring restrictions and refusing to fully inform authorities about his whereabouts, has enraged many a resident.

But it is all relatively simple and there genuinely is no need for panic.

If you are fully vaccinated, as 65 per cent of us are, your chance of becoming infected is significantly reduced.

More than 80 per cent of Tasmanians have had one does of the vaccine.

Simply put, we are so, so close to being in a situation where lockdowns and panic are a thing of the past.

Premier Peter Gutwein has always been clear: at some point, coronavirus is going to revisit our shores.

But be sensible this weekend, for the greater good.

At some point, when the borders inevitably reopen or through the repercussions of a selfish individual who seems to think he is above the law – it does not matter – we cannot keep this virus away indefinitely.

The day of reckoning was always going to arrive.

Mr Gutwein has never denied that, at some point, Tasmania was going to experience further cases of this virus.

Sure, it is disappointing that an infected individual has derailed our ability to bring a potential spread under control.

However, hopefully we are prepared for what is to come.

This weekend, Tasmanians need to remain calm and stay at home.

Those of us who are not vaccinated need to do to so as soon as possible.

Then, if we are sensible, this will be a small blip on our pathway through the coronavirus pandemic.

Keep calm this weekend but if you have not done it yet, get vaccinated.

JOHN Short and the AMWU (“Union backs Twiggy build,” Mercury, October 14) are on the right track with calls to abandon the Marinus Link project — “a white snake that will end up biting us on the arse”.

We should use our renewable energy here to create wealth in Tasmania, rather than exporting the value-adding jobs component along with the electricity.

But simply repeating “Electric Eric” Reece’s blueprint of hydroindustrialisation is another matter. We are at another economic crossroad, but in a new era.

Wind energy complements hydro, but do we want to dominate our landscape with turbines to power hydrogen electrolysers? We currently host 198 turbines. I doubt most Tasmanians have actually seen them. The government’s plan to add 9950MW of wind generation will require about 2800 individual turbines. That’s a whirlwind on an industrial scale — very visible and not in keeping with our brand or enviable lifestyle.

Hydrogen production requires huge amounts of electricity — 48MW hours for each tonne produced. Fortescue’s goal of 250,000 tonnes would require 2630GW hours — or 23 per cent of our current annual power output.

Let’s be mindful where we build wind farms, and select industries of low energy input/high value output to capitalise on this asset.

Greg Pullen

Miena