DAILY BLOG, March 22: State Government to provide coronavirus update as cases continue to rise
Five more people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Tasmania today.
Coronavirus
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KEY POINTS:
- 22nd Tasmanian case confirmed
- Public Health haven’t made contact with two Tasmanian passengers from the Ruby Princess
- Reports of people not complying with self-isolation requirements are being followed up
- National cabinet will tonight consider further restrictions on non-essential gatherings
- Top tips to stay healthy amid coronavirus crisis
- Tassie cruise ship passenger confirmed to have coronavirus
- Fever, coughing, trouble breathing – but refused testing
- What it’s like to suffer from coronavirus
- A public health emergency has been declared
- Elective surgery could stall in Tasmania as hospitals look to increase capacity
DON’T MISS: Your guide to everything cancelled, postponed or closed
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7.50PM: FIVE MORE DIAGNOSED WITH CORONAVIRUS IN TASMANIA
THE number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Tasmania has grown to 22, with the five newest cases having recently returned from overseas.
In an update issued on Sunday night, Public Health Director Mark Veitch said two were people who had recently returned from the United States, two were from the Ruby Princess cruise that arrived in Sydney on March 19 and one was from the Ovation of the Seas cruise that arrived in Sydney on March 18.
“These cases diagnosed in Tasmania reflect the rapidly increasing incidence of coronavirus infection throughout the world, and the occurrence of cases and outbreaks of coronavirus infection on cruise ships. These cases show why measures to quarantine persons recently arrived from overseas were put in place, followed by measures to quarantine persons arriving from mainland Australia,” Dr Veitch said.
6PM: TFS SUSPENDS TRAINING PROGRAMS, BURNS TO GO AHEAD
THE Tasmania Fire Service has suspended training programs for at least three weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, but has assured planned hazard reduction burns will go ahead.
TFS chief officer Chris Arnol advised members on Friday of the decision to suspend all supplementary training activities to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
Mr Arnol said the move, which came into effect on Saturday, was made in line with social distancing advice.
3PM: ‘WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB’
A 17th case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Tasmania.
Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch said the person had returned from the United Kingdom recently, and test results had been confirmed overnight.
No further details are yet known about the patient.
Meanwhile, Public Health Services have contacted all but two of the 54 Tasmanians who were on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship that docked in NSW on Thursday.
There has already been multiple confirmed cases from the ship, which had travelled from New Zealand, including three here in Tasmania.
Dr Veitch said a number of others had “flu or cough like symptoms” and would be tested today or tomorrow.
Dr Veitch said authorities were still “chasing down” two Tasmanians. He said phone numbers provided were not working. They have been sent emails, with officials preparing to visit them to make sure they are aware of quarantine requirements.
There has now been more than 1000 tests conducted in Tasmania for coronavirus.
Premier Peter Gutwein said he was aware of a “couple of reports” being made of people not complying with self-isolation requirements, and that they were being followed up.
Mr Gutwein said people needed to appreciate the seriousness of the directive.
“In Tasmania we are doing a good job, but we need to do a better job,’’ he said.
“This will get tougher. There will be more measures we will need to introduce.
“It is important that people follow the rules. If you’ve been asked to self-isolate, to go into quarantine, you must do that.
“It does not mean you can go to the shops and buy a carton of milk. It does not mean you can go to church.”
Mr Gutwein reminded Tasmanians that it is an offence not to comply.
“There will absolutely be spot checks’’ he said.
“The vast majority of Tasmanians are doing the right thing.
“We need to be vigilant, we need to be disciplined, we need to be, importantly, responsible. “Be responsible for yourself, responsible for your community and abide by the rules.”
Mr Gutwein said he would be part of a national cabinet meeting tonight which would consider further restrictions on non-essential gatherings.
11AM: MAWSON’S HUT REPLICA MUSEUM CLOSES
ONE of Hobart’s most iconic visitor attractions will be closed until further notice.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we have made the difficult decision to close the Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum until further notice,” Chairman of the Mawson’s Huts Foundation David Jensen said on Sunday morning.
“It would not be appropriate to keep the Museum open given the unprecedented threat of the coronavirus.”
Mr Jensen said the safety of staff, volunteers and visitors always came first.
“Unfortunately that means shutting down until the situation in Tasmania improves so that we can play our part in minimising risk to the community,” he said.
“We look forward to reopening as soon as possible so that we can continue to showcase and share Tasmania’s unique Antarctic heritage and celebrate Sir Douglas Mawson’s outstanding contribution to science and research.”
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10.30AM: HOBART MAN WITNESSED NEW YORK TURN INTO A ‘GHOST TOWN’
A TRIP to the United States took a rapid turn for a Hobart man last week when he was caught overseas in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
Richard Welsh, the managing director of events and athlete management company Epic Events and Marketing, returned to Tasmania on Wednesday.
It was a week after Mr Welsh had left Hobart for a week-long business trip and he was accompanied by Olympic runner Milly Clark, who he manages and who was set to compete in the New York half-marathon, which was later cancelled.
“We had a week observing New York get quieter and quieter,’’ he said.
“We were staying in the largest hotel in Manhattan — the Hilton has got 1200-odd rooms — and it was a total ghost town.
“Initially it was just dealing with the disappointment of travelling across the world for an event that had just been cancelled, but we started to look for some positives.”
Mr Welsh said they considered going to an NBA game and visiting Broadway and museums, but one by one, games were cancelled and venues closed. And as he tried to find alternative races for Clark to run, it soon became clear getting them home was the priority.
“It took about half a day for me to realise it was bigger than sport and this was a big global issue,’’ he said.
“There was a sense of urgency [to get home] but I never panicked.”
Now, Mr Welsh is in self-quarantine at home for 14 days — but is distancing himself from wife Anita and their two-year-old daughter Harriet.
“I’ve used my daughter’s playpen to create a bit of a fence. She’s adapting to it pretty well but she just wants to interact with her dad,’’ he said.
“I’ve not hugged or kissed my wife or daughter since I’ve been back.”
7.15PM SATURDAY: FIVE NEW TASMANIAN CORONAVIRUS CASES DIAGNOSED
FIVE more Tasmanian coronavirus cases have been confirmed, bringing the state’s total to 16.
Tasmanian Public Health Director Mark Veitch on Saturday evening confirmed the further five cases of coronavirus infection diagnosed in Tasmania.
The cases comprise of one woman and two men who were on the Ruby Princess cruise, and a woman and a man who recently travelled together in Europe.
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