17 April 2020

Peter Gutwein, Premier

Restrictions in place for a further four weeks

Yesterday at National Cabinet it was agreed that the restrictions currently in place will be extended for a further four weeks.

To ensure that our rules are consistent with the decisions of the National Cabinet, the Tasmanian rules, such as restrictions on which businesses can open, will be extended to Friday 15 May.

The additional business restrictions in the north west which were introduced on Sunday will remain in place for at least two weeks.

This includes all rules currently in place in Tasmania, including:

• All non-essential travellers arriving in Tasmania, including those from interstate and overseas are required to enter self-isolation for 14 days in government provided accommodation on arrival in Tasmania;
• Staying at your primary place of residence unless you are getting essential supplies or accessing essential services, going to work or school, exercising, or for medical or compassionate care reasons. This means no travelling between home and shacks;
• A two person rule applies to all indoor and outdoor gatherings, except for gatherings of household members, those in shared parenting arrangements, guardianship arrangements or other care arrangements;
• No patient visits to hospitals, except for a support person due to the birth of a child, a parent, carer or guardian for an ill child or dependent person, or for end of life support for patients;
• The only visits to aged care residents is for end of life support and essential visits by doctors and medical staff;
• Residents are also not permitted to leave an aged care facility unless it’s for essential medical requirements as arranged by facility management;
• Race and trial meetings have been cancelled;
• Prohibiting garage sales, sex worker services and closing TAB and UBET stores;
• All personal visits within prisons have been suspended; and
• Specifically in the north west region, businesses that are not essential services have been required to close and trade supply stores open to trade only.

The message is clear: Stay Home. Save Lives.  That’s what these rules are about and that’s why we are acting as part of the national response to coronavirus to protect the community.

We cannot afford to be complacent. A relaxation on any of these rules right now, could be disastrous.

I know our businesses are hurting badly, and I am very sorry to have to do this. It’s heart-breaking to see our state so eerily quiet.  But we must continue to put community safety first.

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