Tasmania's borders could open at the end of October to COVID-safe states, Premier Peter Gutwein says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Gutwein on Friday afternoon said State Controller Darren Hine was looking at that possibility in association with Public Health Services.
States that fall into the COVID-safe category include South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Mr Gutwein has previous said borders would be open by December 1.
The matter of border closures was again raised at a national cabinet meeting on Friday.
"The national aspiration is that the country is open by Christmas," Mr Gutwein said.
"We will share that aspiration, but won't put Tasmanians at risk."
In other announcements, Mr Gutwein said crowd capacity at sporting venues would increase from 500 to 1000 next Friday, ahead of local finals.
He said organisers would still need to exhibit they are COVID-safe
Mr Gutwein said COVID audits on all Tasmanian aged care facilities would be completed by next week.
"I can confidently say from my understanding of the audits is that our aged care sector is well-prepared," he said.
Mr Gutwein said Tasmanian fly-in, fly-out workers who worked in low-risk jurisdictions could come home without having to go into quarantine from midnight on Sunday
He said seasonal workers will be able to enter state under COVID-safe restrictions from next week to take part in the upcoming picking season.
Mr Gutwein said they would need to stay on the farm property for 14 days or at their primary residence unless they were going to work or seeking medical assistance.
He said the sector had been working with public health authorities to ensure workplaces had a COVID-safe plan.