FREEDOM D-DAY

EAGERLY AWAITED PLAN TO REOPEN BORDERS

PREMIER Peter Gutwein on Friday will unveil the plan for a staged reopening of Tasmania’s borders to fully vaccinated visitors without the need to quarantine. The plan will be based on modelling by the Kirby Institute, which will predict the impact on Tasmania based on the state’s vaccination rates.

The state first locked its borders on March 19 last year and has restricted travel from Covid-affected states since.

PREMIER Peter Gutwein will reveal the details of his plan to reopen Tasmania to interstate travel on Friday.

Mr Gutwein has pledged to release the Kirby Institute modelling the government commissioned to underpin the plan to remove travel restrictions.

Tasmania is expected to reach the government target of 90 per cent of those aged over 16 being fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by December 1.

Liberal minister Michael Ferguson said the Premier, cabinet and public health officials had been working hard on the plan.

“It takes account of the great success that we’ve been achieving here in Tasmania around vaccination, with 70 per cent of Tasmanians double-vaccinated and more than 85 per cent of people over 16 at least with one vaccine,’’ Mr Ferguson said.

“These are very positive signs. Tasmania is very close to being ready for a staged reopening and in a safe way that supports our tourism and hospitality industries, a way that will allow families to be reunited.

“So the planning has been very effective.

“The Premier, of course, has been careful to take advice not only from Tasmania’s public health, but also the extra modelling and advice on that modelling from the Kirby Institute.”

Mr Ferguson said a return to a more normal social and economic life was underwritten by the success of the state’s vaccination program.

Federal Labor member for Franklin Julie Collins said the federal government was squibbing on the funding Tasmania needed to safely reopens.

“What we’re hearing from our local community is people’s concern about our hospital and our health system here in Tasmania,’’ she said.

“How is it going to cope? From people out and about in the local community, to our health professionals, everybody is saying this is going to be critical for Tasmania and our reopening plans.

“We know that every state and territory has written to Scott Morrison saying we need more help.

“We need to have reassurance that our hospital and our health system is going to be able to cope when the state reopens its borders to other states and territories.”

Mr Morrison earlier this month rejected the states’ plea for more health funding as “shakedown politics”.