Since
Premier Peter Gutwein has abandoned critical measures at contact tracing to
halt the spread of COVID-19, he now needs to tell Tasmanians what his plan is.
Acting
Labor Leader Anita Dow said now that the Premier’s Delta Shield Plan appeared
to have gone out the window, it was critical that he provide immediate clarity
to Tasmanians about what measures he was taking now he has opened the border to
Coronavirus.
“The Premier has had months and months to plan for this and he has told Tasmanians repeatedly things are going to plan – it’s about time he told Tasmanians exactly plan his government is actually working to,” Ms Dow said.
“Tasmanians
were led to believe they would be kept safe with the Delta plan that was
released in August but this week the Premier has abandoned the critical
component of that plan around contact tracing.
“The
plan promised Tasmanians that we would have access to 200 contact tracers from
a national pool should the need arise.
“The
need is now here. With almost 400 active cases now in Tasmania, there is an
immediate need for increased contact tracing.
“This may have
been what the Premier and government expected but it’s not what Tasmanians
expected.
“If
the Delta plan is null and void, what is the plan?
“It’s
extremely important during this time of uncertainty, with the spread of COVID
rapidly escalating, that Peter Gutwein provides timely and accurate
information, specifically around how many of the cases in Tasmania have been recorded
through community transmission and how many of them have been identified as the
Omicron COVID-19 variant.
“Now is the time for him to outline in detail what his plan is to combat the virus.”
Anita Dow MP
Acting Labor Leader
