Tasmania's Covid Cases Hit Highest Daily Tally

Tasmania reported 137 Covid infections on Friday, setting a new record for daily cases.

Another person has been admitted to hospital for Covid-related illnesses, bringing the total number of hospitalisations to four.

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The majority of cases are using the state's Covid@home management program, with 200 under observation through the remote service, while 86 confirmed cases are under the state's Community Case Management Facility.

All cases have occurred since Tasmania opened its border on December 15.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced changes to close contact definitions and testing requirements across each State and Territory.

The new reclassification has a close contact as a household contact of a confirmed case only.

A household contact is considered someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting.

“So, you are only a close contact if you are, effectively, living with someone or have been in an accommodation setting with someone for more than four hours with someone who has actually got Covid,” he said.

“Omicron requires us to undertake a change of how we are managing the pandemic, and we need to reset how we think about the pandemic, and how we manage ourselves and the things we need to do as governments,” he said.

The changes came into effect in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT at midnight Thursday, while Tasmania will follow suit on January 1.

Northern Territory are expected to make an announcement shortly, while Western Australia will continue with their current Covid regulations, unless the situation changes.

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