Of the active COVID-19 cases in Tasmania, 163 are healthcare workers. One hundred of these are based in the state's south and 11 are in the north-west. More than 50 Northern Tasmanian Health Service staff have tested positive to COVID-19 over the past few days. A meeting will be held this afternoon at the Launceston General Hospital as plans to raise its escalation policy to level three are discussed. The Royal Hobart Hospital is at pandemic response level three escalation while the North West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital are at level two. Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said there were no known staff transmissions within the state's hospitals. "All the staff appear to be infect from community exposure," she said. "The hospitals have established COVID testing capabilities on-site for our staff who require routine testing." If a hospital staff member tests positive to COVID-19, they cannot return to work unless they have been asymptomatic for 72 hours or are needed to maintain a critical service that cannot otherwise be provided by working from home. They will need to wear full personal protective equipment and undergo daily rapid antigen testing. If the staff member has been a close contact with a positive case, they must be asymptomatic and return a negative rapid antigen test 24 hours before they return to work. Premier Peter Gutwein on Friday said the state's health system was equipped to take in an additional 400 patients with COVID-19. He said the state's intensive care units had capacity to take in 100 patients with COVID-19. Ms Morgan-Wicks said those numbers were at the extreme end of the state's COVID response plan and would mean other hospital services, like elective surgery would be impacted.