Tasmanians will be able to ditch their masks in retail settings from tomorrow, with offices and restaurants easing their restrictions in a week's time, Premier Peter Gutwein has announced.
The new rule for retail comes in at midnight tonight for customers, but staff will still be required to wear masks for business continuity reasons.
From 5pm on Friday next week, March 11, masks will also no longer be required for customers at seated cafes, restaurants.
Offices can also ditch masks next Friday but businesses should refer to their COVID-safe and continuity plans, Mr Gutwein said.
"But the mandatory arrangements around that will be removed.
"I think it's fair to say that in terms of mask-wearing, we will continue to keep it under advisory from Public Health.
"Obviously, numbers can move around and the risk can increase and at some time in the future it may be necessary to bring in masks again."
Large outdoor events of more than 1,000 people can also ditch masks from 5pm next Friday.
The new rules
- Retail: Customers can ditch masks from tomorrow. Staff will need to keep wearing them
- Offices: Workers can ditch masks from 5pm next Friday, March 11, but should refer to their business's COVID-safe plan
- Seated cafes/restaurants: Customers can ditch masks from 5pm next Friday, March 11. Staff will need to keep wearing them
- Standing pubs/nightclubs: No change yet but news expected next week
- Schools: No changes but will be reviewed after next week
- Large outdoor events: Masks can be ditched for events with more than 1,000 people from 5pm next Friday, March 11
- Public transport: No changes
- Hospitals/aged care settings: No changes
Pubs, schools still under review
Mr Gutwein said there would be more to say next week about rules for venues with "increased levels of mixing and mingling", like pubs and nightclubs.
"In terms of other high-risk settings such as hospitals, aged care facilities, public transport; the mask rules aren't changing. They will remain in place until advised by Public Health in the future," he said.
Public Health deputy director Scott McKeown said the rules for school students and teachers would remain unchanged for now.
"We'll certainly keep them in schools at the moment, in high schools. That's important with our level of circulating COVID in communities at the moment," he said.
There are 73 schools in the state with COVID outbreaks circulating, Dr McKeown said.
"Twenty-two of them have outbreaks of more than three class groups. So that's that group that we call a 'school outbreak'," he said.
Of the active cases in schools, 465 are students and 30 are staff or adults, he said.
The mask rules for schools will be reviewed after next week.
Four COVID patients in ICU
There are currently four COVID patients in intensive care in Tasmania and there have been 12 deaths linked to the virus since borders reopened to virus hotspots last December.
The state recorded 937 new cases today, down from 1,117 yesterday.
Yesterday's figures were the first time daily cases had topped 1,000 since January 19.
Active cases in the state sit at 5,432, still down from the January peak of 8,764.
