COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community. COVID-safe behaviours remain an important part of taking care of each other. We all need to play our part to protect ourselves and take care of the people around us.

When the COVID-19 risk level in Tasmania is Moderate it means COVID-19 is circulating widely in our community and we are seeing, on average over 400 cases of COVID-19 per day in the state.

We are seeing cases of COVID-19 in hospitals and outbreaks in aged care facilities and other settings. You may notice family and friends with COVID-19 and staff away sick from work.

More people will be wearing masks and you will hear more about COVID-19 in the media and from the Government and Department of Health.

Because of this we need to do more than our everyday COVID-safe behaviours to manage the risk. These things are listed below:

Everyone

• Be up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations
• Stay home and get tested for COVID-19 if you have any cold or flu-like symptoms, no matter how mild
• If you test positive by RAT, register your result
• Stay at home while you still have symptoms
• Wear a mask in indoor public places for 7 days after your positive test
• If you have COVID-19 or cold or flu-like symptoms do not visit high risk settings or people at higher risk from respiratory illness for at least 7 days
• If you have been in close contact with a person who tests positive to COVID-19 – be alert for symptoms
• Cover coughs and sneezes and wash your hands with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Public Health recommends wearing a face mask in crowded indoor spaces, on Public Transport,and when visiting people who may be at risk of severe illness.

People at risk of severe illness

• Public Health recommends wearing a face mask in indoor or crowded public settings
• Make or review your testing and treatment plan with your GP for when you get cold or flu symptom (how to get a test – how to get treatment)
• Get tested as soon as you have symptoms
• Seek urgent treatment if you test positive for COVID-19 - it is very important to get treatment early

High risk settings (including hospitals, residential aged care, and disability residential settings)

• Implement the increased risk mitigation measures in your Work, Health and Safety Plan (These may include Health screening and mask wearing for all staff and visitors, Staff surveillance RATs, Enhanced Personal Protective Equipment and Infection Prevention and Control measures)
• Look out for cases and manage cases and outbreaks quickly
• Maximise ventilation and keep informed

Businesses

• Review Work, Health and Safety and Business Continuity plans
• Additional measures may include health reminders and supporting mask wearing for staff and visitors
• Support close contacts and staff at higher risk from COVID-19 to work from home where possible
• Maximise ventilation

Tasmanian COVID-19 Risk Level system explained

COVID-19 is expected to remain present in Tasmania and to cause waves of infection in the future. To help people and businesses understand what they may need to do we use a system with three levels that describe the current level of risk in the community. By knowing this it is easier to act when needed to reduce the risk.

Public Health Services continuously reviews the risk level by considering many variables, including the number of cases that have been recorded in the state. Typically, this will mean:

Other data collected by Public Health and used to consider risk include the following:

• change in case numbers over time and by age
• proportion of PCR laboratory test results that are positive
• number of staff in aged care and hospitals who test positive
• number of aged care resident cases
• number of outbreaks in Residential Aged Care Facilities
• number of people treated with antiviral medication
• number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospital and ICU
• number of deaths related to COVID-19
• presence or risk of new variants.