Burnie wants State Government guarantee it is safe to welcome ships

The town at the centre of Tasmania’s COVID-19 is seeking intervention, and protection from “floating Petri dishes” come next cruise ship season.

A PUSH from a regional Tasmanian city may see a shift in how cruise ships dock in the state.

The State Government has been asked to provide the city of Burnie with a “iron-clad guarantee” that cruise ships will not be able to dock there again without adequate safety procedures to protect volunteers, council staff and residents.

The Burnie City Council has also asked TasPorts to fund the construction of a raised walkway from port into town so passengers of any future ships do not need to rely on shuttle buses.

The city recently rejected a push by Councillor Ken Dorsey to ban cruise ships entirely for the 2020-21 season because they were “floating Petri dishes” but the motion to approach the government on the issue was passed unanimously.

The city hosted a series of cruise ships in the week before the State Government closed Tasmania’s ports to passenger ships in March.

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There are fears that future dockings of cruise ships will expose the city to health risks, after the revelation two infected passengers from the Ruby Princess – who were treated, and died in Burnie – were likely the ‘patient zeros’ for the North West Regional Hospital outbreak.

Based on the current TasPorts website information, 34 cruise ships are scheduled to visit Burnie in the upcoming season.

The council spends $4000 per ship greeting passengers and putting them on shuttle buses to attractions in the region.

“Council does not have the power to suspend cruise ships visiting Burnie but it has the opportunity to raise concerns with the State Government,” council officials said.

“The cruise ship industry has been disproportionably impacted by COVID-19.

“It is doubtful any national or state government would currently be willing to allow cruise ships to is it until thorough risk management and health and safety processes were in plan to prevent further outbreaks.”