Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson
We welcome the next stage of COVID-19 restrictions announced by the State Government this morning. Limiting people’s social movements outside their homes to all but essential activity is necessary to save lives.
The evidence from overseas has shown that going hard, early in the disease epidemic is the only way to slow the rate of coronavirus infections - and ultimately save as many lives as possible.
The Greens, along with many health care workers, have been calling for these strong restrictions. We support the decision to use enforcement measures to ensure compliance with quarantine provisions and to reduce social gatherings.
Community transmission of coronavirus is likely occurring in Tasmania. It is critical all non-essential movements and gatherings of people are constrained.
There are still questions about how the strict restrictions announced by the Premier on physical distancing will be applied in certain sectors.
It is unclear whether it applies to building and construction and retail. Those businesses need further clarity about if, or how, they can operate to ensure transmission of coronavirus cannot occur.
General practitioners have also been calling for additional testing kits to enable them to determine if patients have coronavirus infection. Despite relaxation of the federal guidelines on testing, this doesn’t seem to be happening enough in Tasmania.
We hope the Premier will to do everything possible to ensure additional testing kits are available so that GPs can test in line with their professional discretion.
The Greens are deeply saddened to hear about the death of an elderly Tasmanian woman from COVID-19. This tragedy is a reminder of just how serious the threat from this disease is.
Nowhere and no one is immune, and now is our opportunity to do everything we can by staying at home except for essential movements.