DAILY BLOG, March 26: What new $500m stimulus package means for you and your family

Five more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Tasmania, including two children. It brings the state’s tally to 47.

KEY POINTS:

• Tasmania has 42 cases of coronavirus, none from community transmission
• Major hospitality group to stand down 1500 workers
• The Premier has announced an extra $500m in economic stimulus
• Premier issues stern warning to those flouting isolation directives
• Government to take over UTAS apartments for quarantine

DON’T MISS: Your guide to everything cancelled, postponed or closed

7.10pm: FIVE MORE CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN TASMANIA

Five more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Tasmania, the state’s Public Health Director says.

Two of the cases are children, two are aged in their 30s and one is in their 70s.

Three of the cases are from the state’s North and two are in the North-West.

All five were passengers on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.

It brings the state’s tally to 47.

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7.07pm: SEX WORKERS SHATTERED AS INDUSTRY SHUTS DOWN

HOBART’s sex workers and exotic dancers have left financially devastated by the coronavirus crisis as lockdown rules and dwindling client numbers shatter their industry.

Men’s Gallery dancer Lana Evol, who typically works four nights a week at the Barrack St venue, is jobless now that strip clubs have closed nationwide.

“I figured this was coming,” she said.

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6.40pm: SPOT CHECKS ENSURE SELF-ISOLATION COMPLIANCE

TASMANIAN police are conducting an average of 10 checks an hour on people in quarantine across the state as enforcement measures step up amid the coronavirus crisis.

The escalation of action to ensure compliance with requirements to contain the spread of the deadly virus was promised by Premier Peter Gutwein.

Tasmania Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said more than 200 compliance and welfare checks on people in quarantine had been performed between 6pm on Wednesday and 3pm on Thursday.

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6.20pm: COUNCIL TO EASE CITY’S PARKING RESTRICTIONS

ROYAL Hobart Hospital and Hobart Private Hospital frontline workers will be able to access free parking from Friday while other parking restrictions will also be relaxed.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said free parking would be offered in the Argyle St carpark to Royal Hobart Hospital and Hobart Private Hospital health workers.

Staff will be required to show their employee identification at the ground floor cashier’s office.

The Hobart City Council is also looking at making arrangements to make parking available at the Argyle St complex 24 hours a day.

General manager Nick Heath said the council would scale down parking enforcement in some circumstances.

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6pm: PUSH FOR EARLY RELEASE OF PRISONERS

THE Attorney-General has not ruled out releasing non-violent and vulnerable inmates into the community or home detention ahead of a potential COVID-19 breakout at Risdon Prison.

Greg Barns, the Tasmanian Prisoners Legal Service chair, urged Elise Archer to “mirror” a bill introduced in NSW Parliament on Tuesday calling for early parole or home detention for elderly prisoners and those with medical conditions.

If introduced, Tasmania’s Director of Corrective Services could be given new powers to circumvent the bail system and avoid the courts becoming clogged in the process.

Ms Archer has not ruled out the idea.

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5.35pm: HOME-SCHOOLING A ‘FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY’

CHERISH the time with your children. That is the message from celebrity chef Sarah Glover and her home-schooling mother Catherine, who taught her Tassie brood of eight over many years.

As the State Government moves to implement mostly online delivery of education in term two, Miss Glover has heart-warming advice for novice home-schoolers.

“I think it’s a fantastic chance for parents to bond and learn more about their kids,” Miss Glover said.

“Don’t put pressure on them to do your agenda. Ask what they’d like to do – obviously not video games, but creative activities. Really get to know their interests.”

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4.10pm: PREMIER’S BLUNT MESSAGE TO TOURISTS

THERE was a time, just a few weeks ago, when Tasmania was trying to encourage tourists to visit. Not any more.

The message today from Premier Peter Gutwein couldn’t be further from normal: tourists, go home.

At his morning briefing, Mr Gutwein said the coronavirus pandemic was a time for locals to stay at home and for visitors to go back to where they came from.

“If you’re not a permanent resident, if you’re in a hotel at the moment, if you don’t meet the criteria of either being an essential worker or somebody that lives in a hotel, then you should plan to leave the state,” Mr Gutwein said.

“Go home. I’m sorry to stay that, but go home.”

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3.15pm: BUSINESSES WELCOME MASSIVE NEW STIMULUS PACKAGE

SMALL businesses will get their next power and water bills paid and parents will receive a refund of this year’s school levies as part of a second economic stimulus announced by Premier Peter Gutwein on Thursday.

Mr Gutwein announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending to take to $1 billion the amount his Government is spending to offset the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Utility prices will be frozen for 12 months and the Government is asking councils to do the same with rates.

Mr Gutwein said the health service had a blank cheque to fight the pandemic and said he was expecting at least a $150 million bill.

As expected, the package was heavy with support for the state’s 38,000 small businesses and sole traders — as well as help for households and the community sector.

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12.40pm: WHAT NEW $500M STIMULUS PACKAGE MEANS FOR YOU

Power, water and payroll tax bill waivers for small business have been annouced as part of a second economic stimulus announced by Premier Peter Gutwein today.

Parents will also receive a refund of this year’s school levies, the Premier revealed.

Mr Gutwein today announced the second stage of his government’s economic stimulus package, bringing the total amount of assistance to $1 billion.

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12.02pm: TASMANIAN PARLIAMENT SHUT DOWN

Sittings of state parliament will be suspended for five months due to the coronavirus crisis.

Today’s sittings of the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council will be the last until August.

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10.30am: AUSTRALIAN STOCK MARKET IS UP FOR A ‘THIRD RALLY’

Australian shares have rallied for a third straight day after a massive US stimulus deal sent global markets soaring.

The S&P/ASX200 benchmark index rose 78.8 points or 1.58 per cent, to 5,076.9 at 10.15am AEDT today.

The All Ordinaries index was up 86.2 points, or 1.72 per cent, higher at 5,092.4 with all sectors higher except telcos and consumer staples.

Local stocks had rocketed in the final minutes of trade on Wednesday after US politicians finally reached a deal – yet to be passed – on a $A3.3 trillion stimulus measure to shore up the world’s biggest economy.

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9.47am: SMIGGLE, JUST JEANS AND PETER ALEXANDER AMONG LATEST RETAILERS TO CLOSE DOORS

The parent company of Just Jeans, Peter Alexander and Smiggle has informed all 6000 staff members they will be stood down until April 22 as the coronavirus crisis forces the closure of its brick and mortar stores.

The Just Group, whose portfolio includes Portmans, Just Jeans, Dotti, Smiggle, Peter Alexander, Jay Jays and Jacqui E, employs more than 6000 people in 1000 retail stores.

All staff will be stood down until April 22.

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9.23am: HARD LOCKDOWN ON CARDS AS ECONOMIC SUPPORT INCREASED

TASMANIA will increase its economic support package to $1 billion in response to coronavirus, Premier Peter Gutwein says.

Mr Gutwein said he would today announce a further package of measures, adding to $420 million of support previously announced.

The Premier said it would bring the total level of support announced so far to about $1 billion, which he said was “unprecedented”.

“Never before has the state had to take steps of this magnitude,’’ he said.

Mr Gutwein said he wanted to avoid a hard lockdown, but said if the advice was that the state should enter one, he would act “in a heartbeat”.

“But I want Tasmanians to know, a hard lockdown isn’t two weeks, it isn’t four weeks. A hard lockdown could be six months,’’ he said.

A new website – coronavirus.tas.gov.au – has been established as a go-to for Tasmanians for public health information on the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Public Health Director Mark Veitch said there was 240 people in self-isolation in Tasmania that were linked to cruise ships and who were being monitored.

A further 80 people who are close contacts of cases are being actively managed, Dr Veitch said.

This means there is about 320 “at-risk” people currently being managed in isolation, he said.

An update on the total number of people in self-isolation was not provided on Thursday morning.

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6am: NINTH AUSSIE DEAD AS VIRUS CASES PASS 2400

A 68-year-old Queensland man has died of coronavirus after catching the disease on board a cruise ship that docked in Sydney last week.

Garry Kirstenfield died in the intensive care unit in Toowoomba Hospital this afternoon, Queensland Health confirmed.

Mr Kirstenfield contracted the illness on a Royal Caribbean cruise. It has not been confirmed whether it was the Ruby Princess.

Australia now has more than 2400 coronavirus cases.

Total confirmed cases, based on a tally of numbers provided by each state and territory, now stand at 2432.

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Midnight: CAMPERS BOOTED FROM SITES UNDER NEW MANDATES

Campers are in the process of vacating Tasmanian campgrounds after they were all closed in line with new social distancing rules.

The Parks and Wildlife Service closed all campgrounds at midnight last night until further notice.

These include popular sites at the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, Maria Island, South Coast Track, Frenchmans Cap and Overland Track within the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park.

As a result, all overnight walking activities have stopped and sites will be monitored by PWS staff to ensure compliance to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

7pm, yesterday: SIX MORE TASMANIAN CORONAVIRUS CASES CONFIRMED

ANOTHER six coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Tasmania today, including one person in their 20s.

The six new cases brings the state’s total to 42.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said in a statement this evening there still remains no evidence of community transmission in the state “as all the cases are directly or indirectly linked to overseas travel.”

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