The health and safety of Tasmanians remains our number one priority as we continue to manage the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
Last night’s postponement of the Spirit of Tasmania sailings is yet another reminder that the pandemic is not over, and I thank passengers for their patience and crew members for their cooperation as we have dealt with this situation.
A total of 17 people have been identified as close contacts of an infectious COVID-19 TT-Line contractor who was based in Melbourne, and worked below deck.
All are operational crew members, who do not have contact with passengers, working below deck.
Of these, nine were identified as being in Tasmania and were immediately placed into hotel quarantine from the ship. One had already left the ship and gone home.
Another two primary close contacts in Tasmania were identified overnight. They were contacted immediately, quarantined and tested.
Pleasingly, I can confirm that all 11 primary close contacts in Tasmania have returned a negative result, with further testing to be carried out in coming days during their mandatory 14-day quarantine.
I want to stress that the risk to passengers and the wider community is very low, and the onboard COVID safety measures put in place by the TT-Line are robust and well-practised, including frequent cleaning and mask-wearing for those on board.
importantly, this demonstrates that our strong border controls and processes are working to keep on top of COVID.