Tasmania is now considering mandating masks for indoor areas as it records two new COVID-19 cases in the community, but this is the reopening plan "working as intended", the Premier says.
One case was announced yesterday and another two today have brought the total to three active cases.
All three are isolating at private residences and came from Newcastle, which recently had a superspreader event at a nightclub.
Cases are now being announced each day at 10am via a Public Health dashboard.
Premier Peter Gutwein later spoke at a press conference on Friday afternoon, saying there were just over 5,700 arrivals into the state yesterday and it went "as smoothly as we could have hoped".
He said any travellers who have been in the Newcastle area are now being asked to get a COVID test, but there is no need to isolate while waiting for results unless a person has symptoms.
Mr Gutwein said he was aware of Queensland moving to reinstate its mask mandate.
"If you're indoors at events, even at a big family gathering, wear a mask. It's just the sensible thing to do."
Delta 'just won't take off' in Tasmania, expert says
On Thursday, the Premier said it was "understandable" that some people would be concerned about cases, but an epidemiologist says Tasmania's high vaccination coverage ahead of the virus entering the state gives it protection against large outbreaks and severe disease.
Catherine Bennett of Deakin University said Tasmania had a much lower risk of large outbreaks compared to states that were hit before vaccination was widespread.
"That's a big difference — we had to really speed [vaccination] up in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT in that last-ditch effort to really bring Delta under control, and Delta did have a bigger impact on serious illness as well," she said.
"You do have more chance to see more cases of Omicron when that crosses the border, but Omicron infections are less likely to cause that serious illness."
She said the border opening signalled a shift from keeping the virus out to keeping it in check.
"It's moving from fear and isolation, which is where a lot of Tasmania's been, to now moving into that control period where we are just learning to control the virus as it does cross the border," she said.
"People will bring the virus in and it will become part of the response from the health department to identify whether they're seeing the low rates [of transmission] they usually expect or whether it might be something they follow up because they have something like we saw in Newcastle with a spreader event."
High vaccination rate 'number one protection' for the health system
Tasmanian health workers have previously expressed concern over how the already stretched health system will cope once the virus began circulating in the community.
But Professor Bennett said the high vaccination rate was "the number one protection" against an onslaught.
"We don't want people to get infected, but it's not the same concern that it was a year and a half ago with the original strains — and in the last six months with Delta — where we had those higher hospitalisation rates," she said.
She also said it was important for anyone eligible for their booster to have it as soon as possible.
"That will mean even Omicron won't have such a good foothold when it inevitably crosses the border."
Boosters will also help to protect those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
"The first people who would have been vaccinated are those with comorbidities and the elderly … if [these] people have a booster, that preserves the ICU beds for people who need it for other reasons, which is important when you don't have an unlimited supply of intensive care beds," she said.
"If you're particularly vulnerable and you get [frequent] symptoms, say you get hay fever and you're not sure if it is something else, you might consider having a rapid antigen test or two at home."
Managing anxiety
Tasmanian clinical and health psychologist Sabina Lane said she had many clients with multiple medical issues, and for some, being vaccinated has helped reduce anxiety.
"It's been helpful for them to feel that by having the vaccine, they're not going to suffer to the same degree should they catch it," she said.
But others, including people with cancer or multiple sclerosis, will be spending more time at home.
"Some are going to remain at home a little more, which is sad because they're looking forward to Tassie's summer, to those times of being more sociable and more festivities.
"For those people, feeling that they're not able to get around as much is tough."
Ms Lane said everyone should feel comfortable to make decisions on how much socialising they wanted to engage in.
"Deciding whether we want to participate in the things that are available or whether we want to have a quiet summer at home with just a couple of friends is an individual choice," she said.
But she encouraged people to avoid comparing the situation with that of other areas.
"It's very easy to look at what's happening elsewhere in Australia, and even the world, and assume that things will happen a certain way … but it's very easy when people become anxious to catastrophise," she said.
Ms Lane suggested people feeling anxious about socialising might call a friend to discuss it, or to see their GP if they felt it was interfering with their daily life.
