Most of you would know that since last week the number of COVID-19 cases in the community has risen, and in some parts of Tasmania it’s been a sharp increase.

Health and community workers aren’t immune to this and in the last few days we’ve seen numbers amongst public health workers rise significantly, which is of serious concern to us. The Department of Health told unions yesterday they are monitoring the numbers very closely and there may be a return to a higher escalation level in our hospitals and that move could happen quickly.

We’ll keep you updated as the situation unfolds. What’s so disappointing and frustrating is that as you try and manage the myriad of issues the ongoing virus response presents at work and at home, the government continues to ignore our requests to discuss a COVID allowance for health workers. We provided a draft agreement two Fridays ago and, at the time of writing, we haven’t heard so much as boo from your employer – but ignoring us won’t make us go away. For further information or to discuss your concerns please contact HACSUassist on 1300 880 032 or via email assist@hacsu.org.au